


Kids in the Kitchen

by AlexSW97



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Cancer, Fix-It, Good Parents Maggie & Wentworth Tozier, Idiots in Love, Implied/Referenced Sexual Assault, Kid Fic, M/M, Myra Kaspbrak's A+ Parenting, Post-Canon, Slow Burn, and they were ROOMMATES, domestic abuse, mentions of abuse, there's only one bed, you read that right
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-23
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:47:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 23,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23275753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlexSW97/pseuds/AlexSW97
Summary: “I mean it’s not like we’ve never shared a bed before. And I figure if we’re co-parenting, our kids should see us as equals and sleeping on the couch doesn’t really leave room for much dignity... so yeah. Plus it’s not like anyone uses the left side of my bed anyways. Unless you like the right side. Then I could use the left side.”------After surviving Pennywise a second time, Eddie takes his sons to live with Richie and his daughter in LA. What could go wrong?
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Myra Kaspbrak, Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier
Comments: 29
Kudos: 101





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! I've been working on this fic since the beginning of 2020 and am still finishing up the last few chapters, but I decided to start posting now for motivation to finish the rest of it (famous last words). 
> 
> TW for this first chapter- there's a depiction of child abuse. 
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoy it, let me know in the comments <3
> 
> Title is from Sunflower, Vol. 6 by Harry Styles :)

_ August 29, 2016 _

Eddie slipped into the back of the cab, muttering his address to the driver and staring out the window. The sun was just beginning to rise as he left the airport. He’d make it home in time to see the boys before they went to school. 

He stared down at his phone, Richie and Stan smiling up at him. He’d had the same photo of Myra and him on their honeymoon as his background since he’d got the phone. Richie had grabbed it from his hands at the restaurant, plastering his and Stan’s faces everywhere. Eddie knew Myra would make him change it later, but he’d hold onto the little piece of them as long as he could.

Eddie thought back to Richie at the restaurant, how he’d gushed about his daughter, just as excited to hear about the boys. All of Eddie’s feelings for the guy had come back and bitch slapped him in the face. Between the ‘I’m an amazing father’ thing and the blow job shot, Eddie had nearly lost his mind. 

_ “Stan, you would have been so proud of my daughter the other day, she-”  _

_ “You have a kid?” Bev interrupted. “No fucking way!”  _

_“Yeah! Haidee! She’s eleven,” Richie explained, pulling his phone out._ _“Want to see a photo?” He passed his phone to Bev, smiling brightly. Eddie’s head spun. God, he was so fucking handsome._ And _he was a dad. Eddie was absolutely fucked._

_ “My boys are eleven, too,” Eddie said, pulling his own phone out for picture time.  _

_ “No fucking way, Eddie Spaghetti has kids?” Richie asked, grabbing the phone from him. Eddie watched his reaction carefully, something in him wanting Richie to be proud of his boys too.  _

_ “Yeah,” Eddie said, leaning over to look at the photo. “The one on the left is Lonnie, and Chester is on the right.”  _

_ “How is it, of all of the people at this table, these two are the ones in charge of children?” Stan asked, snatching both phones and holding them side by side. “Fuck, they look like you guys.”  _

_ The phones continued to make their way around the table, the Losers asking a million questions about the kids. “Wait, so Richie,” Ben started. “You’re not married, except to Eddie’s mother, obviously.” _

_ “Obviously.” _

_ “Fuck off,” Eddie chimed in. _

_ “So do you have a girlfriend, or does Haidee live with you or...?” Ben trailed off, looking up from Richie’s phone.  _

_ “Oh,” Richie said, scratching the back of his head, looking a little uncomfortable. “Yeah uh, her mother’s not in the picture. It’s just Haidee and me.” _

_ “I’m glad you got yourself a little family, Trashmouth,” Ben told him, smiling. He passed Richie’s phone to Eddie, who nearly passed out when he saw the photo.  _

_ Haidee, who looked  _ exactly _ like eleven-year-old Richie, except with longer hair, darker skin, and no glasses, sat on Richie’s lap, eating ice cream. Richie was pressing a kiss to the side of her head while looking at the camera, a playful glint in his eyes.  _

_ Eddie was so in love it hurt.  _

He stared out the window, houses flying by as the cab driver took him towards his neighbourhood. Anxiety twisted in his gut as he tried to keep his thoughts away from the night he’d left.

_ “Eddie-bear, I have to remind you who you love. Not those dirty friends of yours.”  _

Eddie’s hands curled into fists, his nails digging into his palms, desperate to distract himself. 

_ “You’re not leaving.”  _

_ “I have to Myra, I’ll be back as soon as I can.”  _

_ “Edward, it’s not safe. You have to stay here where I can keep you safe. The boys need their father.”  _

Eddie coughed, his throat constricting as he felt the phantom touch of where her hands had been. Everywhere they’d touch, how strong she’d held him, the bruises he could still see on his wrists and under the collar of his jacket. 

The cab pulled up in front of the house. Eddie’s heart raced, his stomach churning with anxiety. He thought of the boys, the only thing pulling him back, his reason to be strong and stand his ground, as he got out of the car. The driver pulled his bags out of the trunk and Eddie thanked him, shaking his hand. He hoped the skin contact, mixed with hundreds of bacteria, would help ground him, keep his mind off that night. 

Eddie slid the key into the lock, hoping to surprise the boys. He pushed open the door as silently as he could, listening carefully for any sign of movement. 

Nothing.

He slipped inside, toeing his shoes off and headed up the stairs, avoiding the places he knew creaked loudly in the middle of the night when he went to grab a midnight snack. He had just reached the landing when she came out of their room, dressed in a pale blue nightgown. 

Eddie held his breath, fixing his gaze on the wall behind her.

She was silent for a moment, his fast heartbeat the only sound passing between the pair until she spotted the stitches on his cheek. 

“Eddie-bear! What happened?” She asked, rushing towards him and grabbing the side of his head, tilting his face so she could see the cut better. “I told you going to see those friends was no good! You got hurt! It could get infected and you could die!” 

“I won’t die,” Eddie told her, rolling his eyes. He held her wrist gently, trying to push her away. “I got- I got stabbed when some guy tried to mug me. I wasn’t even with my friends.” 

“They let you wander around in dangerous places alone?” Myra pressed, squeezing his cheek in her desperation. Pain radiated from the cut, stars popping up in front of Eddie’s eyes. He dropped her wrist, trying to fixate on the wall behind her again. 

“I’m forty years old Myra, I don’t need a babysitter,” Eddie argued, setting his hand on the wall to steady himself, his head swimming from the pain. “You’re hurting me.” 

“I’d never hurt you! Your no-good friends did this! Eddie-bear-” 

“Dad?” Myra dropped her hands, turning to see Lonnie standing in the middle of the hallway. “When did you get home?” He ran forwards, throwing his arms out. Eddie crouched down, ready to pick him up, but Myra stepped in the way. 

“No. Lonnie your father is hurt and full of germs. You will get sick. He needs to wash up before he can touch you.” 

“But I missed him,” Lonnie argued, trying to step around Myra. Myra threw her arm out, blocking him from coming any closer. She held onto his arm, gently, but firm enough to keep him in place. Eddie was going to throw up. He tried to catch Lonnie’s eye, tell him it was going to be okay, but he was glaring at his mother. “Let me go!” 

“Why are you yelling?” Another voice chimed in from behind Eddie. “I told you I have a headache, Lon.” Eddie turned around to find Chester standing at the bottom of the stairs. “Dad! When did you get home?” He asked, starting to run up towards him. A scuffling sound broke out from behind him, and Eddie turned in time to see Lonnie had broken loose from Myra’s grasp. He ducked under her arm, trying to get at Eddie again.

The world slowed for a moment. Myra yelled something, her hands flying out, pushing Lonnie away from Eddie. Eddie tried to reach out, his whole body moving in slow motion, like his arms and legs were being pulled back by an invisible force. Lonnie stumbled for a moment, then tipped, falling sideways down the stairs. 

Eddie heard himself yell and suddenly time fell back into place, sending him flying down the stairs after Lonnie, faster than he’d ever moved in his life. Lonnie lay at the bottom of the stairs, blinking up at the ceiling dazedly. Chester hovered over him, looking wildly between the three of them. Eddie fell to his knees, placing his hand on Lonnie’s shoulder. 

“You’re okay. Hey. Lon, you’re good. What hurts?” 

“My baby!” Myra screeched, starting down the stairs. 

“Don’t fucking move!” Eddie yelled back, not looking away from Lonnie for a second. “Come near him again and I’ll call the police.” 

“You wouldn’t,” Myra spat, but didn’t move from her place at the top of the stairs. Eddie ignored her. He would. He  _ had _ to. This wasn’t about him anymore.

“What hurts, bud?” He asked carefully, looking Lonnie over for any sign of bleeding. 

“My arm,” Lonnie whimpered, closing his eyes. Eddie looked at his arm, both bones clearly snapped in half.

“Okay. It’s okay. Can you sit up for me?” Lonnie nodded, and Eddie helped him sit up carefully. A tear slipped down Lonnie’s cheek, and he looked at Eddie with big, sad eyes. “I know it hurts. I broke my arm just like this when I was just a little older than you are. But you’re doing so well.”

Eddie turned to Chester now, who was standing with his back pressed to the wall, eyes wide. “Chess, c’mere,” Eddie said gently, holding out his hand. Myra was yelling something at the top of the stairs again, but Eddie ignored her. “Boys, I need you to be really brave here, okay?” They both nodded. 

“Okay. We’re going to go upstairs together, and we’re going to pack some stuff up in a suitcase, and then we’re going to leave,” Eddie explained quietly. He turned away from them, grabbing one of the suitcases he had taken to Derry, and emptying it onto the floor. He winced as the clothes stained with the blood from his cheek fell out. 

“Dad?” Lonnie asked, his eyes on the bloody shirt. 

“Just from my cheek, it’s okay.” Eddie zipped the empty suitcase and handed it to Chester. “Chess, I need you to carry this upstairs to your room. I’m going to take Lonnie and go first. I won’t let her touch you, okay?” Chester nodded, picking up the suitcase. Eddie bent down and scooped Lonnie to his chest. 

They made their way towards Myra, who was crying. “I’m sorry Lonnie, baby. Mama didn’t mean it. I’m so sorry. We’ll take you to the hospital and-” 

“Step back, Myra,” Eddie commanded, holding Lonnie to his chest as they passed her, turning to make sure Chester made it past fine. When they were in Chester’s room, Eddie kicked the door closed behind them, before setting Lonnie down on the bed. His nerves felt fuzzy, like the wiring between his brain and body was fraying. 

“Where are we gonna go, Dad?” Lonnie asked, gripping Eddie’s shirt with his good hand as he tried to pull away. 

“First we’re going to go to the hospital and get your arm fixed.”

“No. I hate the hospital.” 

“I know,  _ I know _ . But Lon? Your arm is broken. For real. Okay? This is  _ real _ , and we need to fix it. You’re going to be okay.” Lonnie nodded, letting go of Eddie’s shirt. Eddie walked over to Chester’s closet, throwing the door open. “Chess, I need you to pack enough clothes for a week, and all your most important things, okay? Your favourite toys and your iPad can go in here,” Eddie told him, grabbing his backpack and dumping the contents onto the desk. 

Chester and Eddie got to work, managing to pack his things in under five minutes. Myra had been suspiciously quiet the whole time. Eddie was terrified. Moreso, perhaps, than when Richie had been held in the deadlights, or when the leper had him pinned in the basement of the pharmacy. Eddie scooped Lonnie into his arms again after Chester had his backpack on, and the suitcase rolling behind him. “Ready?” Chester nodded and pulled the door open for Eddie to go first. Myra wasn’t in the hallway. “Stay close,” Eddie said quietly, leading the boys out and across the hall to Lonnie’s room. 

Eddie half expected Myra to be inside, but somehow her not being there was even more frightening. He set Lonnie down on the bed again, grabbing his backpack from the floor. “Tell me what you want and I’ll get it for you. Chess will get your clothes, okay?” 

They finished packing and made their way towards Eddie’s room. Chester opened the door to find Myra standing in front of them. He slammed the door before Eddie could even react. “Dad?” He asked, his hand hovering over the handle. 

“It’s okay, let’s go.” Eddie adjusted Lonnie in his arms so he had a free hand, and grabbed the suitcase with the other. “Chess, c’mon, we’re leaving.” 

“Your things!” Chester argued, pointing at the door. 

“There’s nothing in there worth fighting for, we need to move,” Eddie told him, rubbing his thumb along his cheek. Myra must have heard this, as the door burst open behind them. “Chess, go.” Chester made his way to the stairs, Eddie hot on his heels. 

“Eddie-bear,” Myra said, her voice broken, but commanding. The tone, one his mother had used so often, made his stomach churn. “Give me my kids back.” Eddie didn’t stop, picking up the suitcase and following Chester down the stairs. “This is kidnapping, Eddie. I’m going to call the police as soon as you walk out of that door. Then I’ll get full custody, and you’ll be on your own. Besides, you couldn’t last a day without me.” 

“Don’t listen to her boys.” Eddie slipped his shoes on, Chester grabbing a pair for Lonnie, and grabbed his keys off the ring. Eddie briefly considered trying to maneuver his second, still full, suitcase from Derry out the door, but Myra was already headed down the stairs behind them. He handed the keys to Chester. “Chess go get in the car.” 

They made their way out the door, Chester jumping down the stairs and running towards Eddie’s dented truck. He pulled the trunk open before jumping in the back seat, sliding across and leaving room for Eddie to set Lonnie in. Chester reached across, helping Lonnie with his seatbelt while Eddie threw the suitcase and Lonnie’s backpack in the trunk. 

“Hello?” Eddie turned to see Myra standing on the front steps, her phone pressed to her ear. “Yes, I’d like to report a kidnapping.” Eddie jumped into the front seat, Chester shoved the keys into his hand and they pulled out of the driveway. 

He pressed a button on the display, a keypad flashing onto the screen. He jabbed his finger into the emergency button just as he turned the corner, their house fading from view. 

“Hello, 9-1-1, what’s your emergency?” 

“Hi, my wife is on the phone with you now and she’s claiming that I kidnapped our boys.” 

“Okay. And did you?” 

“No. She pushed my son down the stairs. She’s been abusing and controlling us for years. I’m headed to Bellevue hospital now, the police can meet us there.”

“Sure thing, Mr....”

“Kaspbrak. Eddie Kaspbrak.”

“Alright, Eddie. We will have the police meet you at the emergency department. I will phone ahead and tell the ED you’re on your way. What is your son’s condition?”

“He’s got a broken arm. I- does anything else hurt buddy?” He caught Lonnie’s eye in the rearview mirror. 

“No,” Lonnie shook his head, squeezing his eyes closed when they went over a pothole. 

“Just his arm, I think,” Eddie confirmed. 

“Can your boys hear me?” The lady on the phone asked. 

“Yeah, you’re on speaker.” 

“Alright. Hi boys, my name is Laura. You’re going to be okay, we’ll figure this out, don’t worry.” 

“Please don’t make us go back with her,” Chester said suddenly, leaning forward in his seat to get closer to the mic. 

“Chess, sit back bud,” Eddie said gently, eyes on the road.

“What’s your name, honey?” Laura asked. 

“Chester. And my brother is Lonnie,” Chester explained, sitting back in his seat. “My mom pushed him and he broke his arm.”

“He’ll be fine, your dad is taking you to the hospital, right?”

“Yeah, we’re almost there, right Dad?”

“Five more minutes,” Eddie muttered, glaring at the red light in front of him. 

“Five minutes,” Chester told Laura. “Five minutes, hear that Lon?” 

“Yeah, I fucking hear that,” Lonnie muttered. 

“Hey! Language!” Eddie scolded. Chester snorted. “Just because you’ve got a  broken arm, doesn’t mean you’re allowed to say that!”

“Oh yeah? You didn’t swear when you broke your arm?” Lonnie said, his voice strained through clenched teeth. 

“Of course I did, my best friend tried to set it for me,” Eddie said, the corner of his mouth pulling into a smile. He thought back to the memory of Richie gently holding his arm, of his hands on his face, trying to pull Eddie’s attention towards him, rather than the clown about to kill them. His heart rate slowed down a bit as he focused on the feeling of Richie’s hands. “Laura? I can see the hospital now.”

“Okay Eddie, the police are already there, they’ll meet you in the parking lot.”

“Laura?” Eddie asked carefully, eyes falling on the cars in the lot. 

“Yes Eddie?” Laura’s voice was calm but focused. 

“When I step out of this car, are the police going to treat this like a domestic, or am I still under suspicion? For the boys' sake.” 

“Nothing’s been ruled out yet.” 

“Thank you,” Eddie parked the car and turned to the boys. “Hey. Your mom called the police too, and until they talk to all of us, they don’t know if me or your mom is the bad guy, so when we get out, they might take me away. And it might be scary, and they’re going to want to talk to both of you. Make sure there are at least two people in there with you, and tell them the truth. Don’t make up stories to try and help me, okay? The truth will work. You hear me?” They both nodded. “Okay, I love you guys.” 

He slipped out of the car, and grabbed Lonnie, Chester slipping out the same side. “Alright, let’s do this.” Eddie led them around the back of the truck, immediately heading towards the police. They let them pass through the doors where a nurse and a doctor stood with a stretcher. Eddie set Lonnie on the stretcher wordlessly. A clipboard with an intake form was handed to him. He filled it out quickly, trying to explain what happened to the doctor, who seemed annoyed by the police presence.

“Mr. Kaspbrak, I need you to come with us,” One of the police officers said once he had handed the clipboard back. 

“Of course, yeah, one sec,” Eddie agreed, crouching down so he was eye to eye with Chester. “You be brave for your brother, okay? And for yourself.” Chester nodded, throwing his arms around Eddie. “I’m not going to stop fighting for you guys.” 

Eddie stood up, gently prying Chester’s arms from around him, and pressed a kiss to Lonnie’s head. He stepped back from the boys and turned to the officer. “Alright. Let’s go.” 

Six gruelling hours later, the three of them were sitting in a McDonald’s, Lonnie sporting a bright blue cast on his arm. The police had left to take Myra in for questioning. They had offered to have cleared the house, or the ‘crime scene’ by supper, but Eddie wasn’t ready to go back. He didn’t think he’d ever be ready, and he definitely didn’t want the boys back in that house. 

“I’m just going to make a phone call boys, I’ll be right back,” Eddie told them, taking a sip of his coke ( _ not  _ diet, because fuck you, Myra) before making his way out the door. He stood against one of the windows, the boys in sight, as he pulled up Richie’s contact and pressed the call button.

“Spaghetti! Miss me already?” And  _ oh _ . Eddie hadn’t even known what he was going to say. Hadn’t even thought of why he was calling Richie, he just needed to hear his voice. 

“I- hi,” he said lamely, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“You get home alright? Boys happy to see you?” 

“Yeah, I... the flight was fine. How’s Haidee?” 

“Loud as ever. Literally screamed when I came through the door, talking a million miles an hour. You sure she’s not your kid?” Richie teased. Eddie smiled, dropping his hand from his face and shoving it in his pocket. “I’m assuming you didn’t just call to hear my sexy voice?” 

“No. I- shit.” Eddie’s throat started to tighten, tears prickling at the corner of his eyes.  _ Not yet, not yet, not where the boys can see. _

“You okay?” 

“I left.”

“You left what?” 

“Myra. Me and the boys. We left.” Richie was silent for the longest minute of Eddie’s life. 

“Jesus. Good for you man. Is- did something happen?” Richie asked. He had this tone in his voice that made Eddie melt, the same one he’d had in Neibolt, when he’d told him he was brave and didn’t need his fucking inhaler. Eddie’s throat tightened again.

“She-” His voice cracked before he could even start. “Lonnie tried to give me a fucking hug but Myra had seen my cheek and figured I was infected and she blocked him and he tried to run around her and she pushed him down the stairs and-”

“Is he okay?” Richie interrupted. 

“He- his arm is broken,” Eddie explained, wiping the tears from his cheeks and facing the parking lot so the boys couldn’t see. “But yeah, I mean they’re both scared. Obviously. There was a lot of yelling and Chess saw her push him and... yeah. They took her to the police station on domestic charges but I can’t take them back there, Rich.” Eddie slid down the window, sitting on the ledge. He wiped the tears away, breathing heavily. “I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing.” 

“God, I told you you were fucking brave man-” 

“Not now, Rich, please.” 

“What do you need? What can I do?” Richie asked, his voice gentle. 

“I just need someone to tell me what to do. It’s stupid, she’s been telling me what to do my entire life, but I just don’t know what I’m doing. I can barely take care of myself on my own, let alone two kids. I don’t even know where we’re sleeping tonight. Oh God, we’re literally living out of our car, I’m a terrible-” 

“Okay, okay. Eddie. Here’s what your gonna do. I’m booking a room for you guys at a hotel. It’ll be under my name, and my card, so feel free to order as much room service as you want.”

“Richie-”

“I’ll text you the details,” Richie continued, not letting Eddie protest. “This- I.” Richie cleared his throat. “Why don’t you guys come here? I’ll book you flights for tomorrow.” 

“I can’t impose-”

“You’re not. Eddie, I missed my best friend, this is entirely selfish. Besides, it’ll help the boys feel a sense of normalcy.”

“Moving states to live with their favourite comedian is normal?” 

“I just mean having a home, rather than a hotel room. They can go to school with Haidee, and you can take your time getting back on your feet, Eds.” 

“Don’t call me Eds.” 

“So that’s a yes?” 

“I feel bad. Taking them away from their friends and school and imposing on you and Haidee and,” Eddie took a deep breath. “I want to say yes.” 

“I’ll book you guys flights,” Richie told him. “Eddie, this will give the boys a new start. I know it sounds ridiculous but think about how good it felt to be in a whole different state than your mom when you first moved.” 

“Thanks, asshole,” Eddie murmured, getting to his feet. He looked at the boys again, who were playing with their toys from the Happy Meals. 

“So favourite comedian, hey?”

“Fuck off, you dick. See you tomorrow.” Eddie hung up the phone and walked back inside. “Hey boys?” He started, sitting down beside Chester. “We’re going to stay in a hotel tonight, and then my best friend offered to let us stay at his place for a while.”

“Henry? From your work?” Lonnie asked, hitting Eddie square in the chest with the launcher on his toy. 

“Hey!” Eddie cried, dramatically holding his hand to his chest. “No, actually. You guys  haven’t met him yet. He’s one of the friends I went and saw this weekend.”

“How come we haven’t met him before?” Chester asked, fiddling with the toy from his own meal. 

“We...” Eddie trailed off, fiddling with his phone case. He briefly let his mind wander to an image of Richie being there for the first eleven years of the boys’ lives. His heart ached. “We lost touch when I moved to New York. We grew up together.” 

“Is he cool?” Lonnie asked. Eddie pulled a face at him. 

“Absolutely not,” Eddie told them with a laugh. “But don’t worry, you’ll love him. He has a daughter your age.” 

“Is  _ she  _ cool?” 

“Probably,” Eddie shrugged. “I’ve never met her.” 

“How can... What’s his name?” Chester asked, scrunching his eyebrows. 

“Richie.”

“How can Richie be your best friend if you haven’t seen him since you moved here like fifty years ago?” 

“I am not seventy years old,” Eddie said, poking Chester in the shoulder. “There’s just some people that are always gonna have a special place in your life, no matter how long you’re apart. Kind of like a brother.” 

“A special place? Sounds more like a boyfriend to me.”

“Wha-Lonnie!” Eddie spluttered. 

“What? He’s got a  _ special _ place in your life, and now you’re moving in with him. It’s like a really bad romance movie,” Lonnie told him, slipping his toy into his pocket as Eddie led them towards the door. 

“If it was a bad romance movie we’d be flying halfway across the world to live with him,” Chester added, pushing past Lonnie and Eddie to get to the car first. Eddie gapped after him, his face heating up.

His life was officially a bad romance movie. If the boys could already tell there was something  _ more than friendly _ happening in Eddie’s brain, he didn’t know how he was supposed to hide it from  _ Richie  _ himself. Eddie was absolutely  _ fucked _ . 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! Hope you're all doing well :) here's the next chapter, it's a long one! tw in this chapter for discussions of abuse and sexual assault

_August 30, 2016_

Eddie steered the boys towards baggage, a hand on both of their backpacks as they pulled in opposite directions. 

“Dad, we have to see if there are celebrities here!”

“Dad look! They have that new lego set!”

“Dad I swear I just saw JLo.”

“You did not, c’mon we’re going to get your suitcase.” 

Richie spotted them first.

“Spaghetti and the Meatballs!” Eddie groaned, already regretting his decision to move to LA. 

He turned around to find Richie and Haidee walking towards them. Haidee looked even more like Richie in person, so much so that Eddie was transported back to being eleven again. 

“Dad! Dad, it’s Trashmouth!” Chester nearly yelled, pulling at Eddie’s sleeve. “Look Dad, look! He’s coming towards us!” 

“Trash what?” Eddie asked, looking at the nearest garbage can. Chester groaned, slapping his hand to his forehead. 

“Trashmouth. The comedian? Dad, c’mon,” he whined, his eyes going wide as Richie came closer. 

“Oh shit!” Lonnie whispered, ducking behind Eddie. “When you said Richie, you meant _this_ Richie?” 

“You are not calling my children ‘The Meatballs’,” Eddie told Richie once they reached each other. 

“You’re Trashmouth!” Chester said, staring up at Richie in awe. “You’re so cool!” 

“Well hello there,” Richie said, touching Eddie’s elbow as a greeting, before bending down to Chester’s height. “You must be Chester.” 

“Yes!” Chester nodded, looking between Richie and Eddie with wide eyes. “Dad didn’t tell us _you_ were the boyfriend!” 

Eddie’s face went bright red. “Chess!” It was Richie’s turn to look at him with wide eyes. “I- moving across the country to live with my best friend is apparently uh, quite romantic. He’s just joking.” 

“It’s _special_ ,” Lonnie said, peeking out from behind Eddie to look at Haidee. “Hi. I’m Lonnie.”

“I’m Haidee!” She said cheerfully, wrapping her arm around Richie’s waist. “This is my dad.”

“This is _my_ dad,” Lonnie explained, pointing up at Eddie. Eddie introduced himself to Haidee, before herding the boys towards baggage claim again. Once the suitcase came out, he grabbed it off the belt. Chester grabbed the handle and tugged it over to Haidee, already chattering about a YouTube video they’d all seen. 

“Only one bag?” Richie asked, bumping his arm into Eddie’s. 

“Yeah,” Eddie confirmed, sticking his hands in his pockets. “We had to get out pretty quick. It got some stuff for the boys, but all I’ve got is my phone, wallet, and this shirt that I’ve been wearing since we left Derry.” 

“Damn, your tighty whities must be a cesspool of germs by now,” Richie teased, throwing his arm over Eddie’s shoulder like it was nothing. It _should_ have been nothing. Eddie’s rapid heartbeat said otherwise. 

“Shut _up,_ ” Eddie muttered, furrowing his eyebrows. “I’m trying not to think about it.”

“I can’t wait to see you in my Hawaiian shirts and my Angry Birds boxers,” Richie laughed. Eddie elbowed him in the stomach, ignoring the warmth in his own stomach at the thought of wearing Richie’s clothes. “I was a bit worried about Haidee acclimatizing to having two boys her age around, but uh, seems to be going pretty well,” Richie said, following the kids outside, Haidee leading the way. 

They were just crossing the street into the parkade, when Chester dropped the suitcase. “Shit,” he said loudly, looking at the bag as if it had personally offended him. 

“Hey,” Eddie said, bending down to grab the bag. “What did I say about that kind of language?”

“Don’t do it around mom, and people I don’t know,” Chester said, blushing lightly as they finished crossing. “Sorry Richie.”

“Dude,” Richie laughed, smacking Eddie’s upper arm. “I basically taught your dad every swear in the book. Don’t worry about it.”

“Yeah, Daddy lets me say fuck all the time,” Haidee said, smiling proudly. Eddie rolled his eyes at Richie, not surprised in the least.

Richie, surprisingly, did not bring a flashy sports car, but a Range Rover instead. Still flashy, but somewhat sensible. Eddie was reasonably impressed as he put the suitcase in the back, the three kids slipping into the back seat. 

As soon as they pulled out of the parkade, Haidee shot forward, snatching Richie’s phone from its holder on the vent. “Oh, no worries! Of course you can have that! Thanks for asking,” Richie said sarcastically, rolling his eyes at her through the rearview mirror.

“Thanks Daddy! Have you guys seen the new Jenna Marbles video yet?” 

“No!” 

“Oh yeah,” Richie said loudly. “You can totally stream videos on my phone, don’t worry about my data or anything!”

“May I _please_ show Lonnie and Chester the new Jenna Marbles video so we don’t have to listen to your stupid old man music?” Eddie stifled a laugh as Richie’s jaw dropped. 

“Oh I love her,” Eddie said from behind his fist. Richie sent him a half-hearted glare, before turning his ‘stupid old man music’ up way too loud and singing obnoxiously. 

“ _When I’m tired and thinking cold-_ ”

“Dad no!” 

“ _I hide in my music, forget the day!_ ”

“Dad please stop!” 

“ _And dream of a girl I used to know_ ,” Eddie yelled, before Richie could. Lonnie made a noise of shock and embarrassment, while Chester decided to join both Richie and Eddie on the next line. “ _I closed my eyes and she slipped away!_ ” 

Eddie immediately pulled out his trusty air guitar while Richie screamed off-key. Eddie smiled at him, pained laughter from the back seat filling his ears. 

When they arrived at Richie’s apartment, Haidee grabbed the suitcase and took off down the hall, the boys following after her. “So,” Richie clapped his hands together, rocking on the balls of his feet. “This is my home. It’s small and I had the realisation that I only have one guest bedroom so uh-”

“Oh, the couch is fine, really.”

“No, I mean I’m not going to make you sleep on the couch! Unless you’re more comfortable with that, of course.” 

“Oh? What’s my other option then?” Eddie asked, following Richie down the hall. Richie turned to him sheepishly, before backing into the first room on the left. 

“Tada!” Richie stepped aside to reveal what Eddie assumed to be his own room. “I mean it’s not like we’ve never shared a bed before.” _Oh God._ Eddie felt the heat rising to his cheeks. _Holy fucking shit._ “And I figure if we’re co-parenting, our kids should see us as equals and sleeping on the couch doesn’t really leave room for much dignity... so yeah. Plus it’s not like anyone uses the left side of my bed anyways. Unless you like the right side. Then I could use the left side.”

“You’re rambling, Rich,” Eddie told him, placing his hand over Richie’s mouth. Richie twisted his head so Eddie could hear him.

“I’m trying to unsuggestively invite someone into my bed here, man,” Richie laughed, scratching the back of his head.

“And here I was thinking you invited me all the way out here for a good time,” Eddie sighed dramatically, falling onto the bed. “Left side is fine, by the way.”

“Good. Okay. Uh. You don’t have clothes so free reign of the closet and dresser. There’s spare toothbrushes in the bathroom-”

“Still in the packages?” Eddie asked, propping himself up on his elbows.

“Of _course_. And I washed the sheets, by the way. And cleaned the bathroom. If you- if it’s not good enough let me know but-”

“Thanks, Rich. I’ll have a shower and change and then we’ll figure out dinner?” Eddie suggested. 

“Rightio Spaghettio,” Richie said with a salute before leaving the room, closing the door behind him. Eddie smiled, falling back on the bed and staring at the ceiling. He allowed himself a fleeting moment of internal screaming before heading to the shower. Sue him, not only was he moving in with his childhood (and adulthood) crush, but they were going to be sharing a bed. Eddie was going to lose his fucking mind and he was thrilled about it. He rolled off the bed, a smile plastered to his face as he headed to the shower.

“Any allergies or tantrum-inducing dislikes from the Kaspbraks?” Richie asked when Eddie emerged from his room. He’d thrown on a pair of Richie’s sweats, rolled at the ankles, and one of his tour sweatshirts. “Oooh, are you a fan too?” Richie asked once he spotted the sweater. His gaze lingered on Eddie’s neck, where he knew he could see the bruises still fresh from the night before Derry. 

Eddie rolled his eyes, ignoring Richie’s second question. “They don’t have any _real_ allergies. Lonnie hates green food, and Chester will definitely throw a tantrum if the word ‘meatloaf’ is even mentioned. Also, I mean, they’ve been on a vegan gluten-free organic diet for about five years. The first time they had actual meat in years was yesterday at McDonalds. That was also the first time they’ve had fast food in forever, so their stomachs might have trouble adjusting to normal eating.” 

“Gottcha. Mac and cheese?” Richie asked, looking through the pantry. “Or I have some frozen pizzas?” 

“Is it your mom’s recipe?” Eddie asked, suddenly hit by a wave of nostalgia. 

“Of course it is, do you think I’d made some half-assed mac and cheese?” Richie asked, already pulling out the box of elbow pasta. Eddie smiled, walking into the kitchen.

“Where’re the pots?” 

“Bottom cupboard on the left,” Richie said, his head buried in the fridge. Eddie grabbed a pot, filling it with water and setting it on the stove to boil. Richie set a few blocks of different kinds of cheese on the counter, as well as a carton of milk. “Throw a pinch of salt in the water?” Eddie did as instructed, before leaning against the counter. “Are the boys alright with spicy? I don’t have to add the hot sauce.”

“As if Myra let a spice near their food,” Eddie laughed. “I’m joking. Sort of. Maybe go light with it.” 

“Dad?” Both of them turned at the voice, finding Lonnie standing in the doorway. He held his iPad in his good hand carefully, looking a little sheepish. “Oh, uhm, Mr. Richie can I please have the WiFi password?” 

“Oh shit, of course!” Richie laughed, grabbing a piece of paper off the side of the fridge. He flung his arm out towards Lonnie in typical Richie fashion. Lonnie flinched at Richie’s movement, taking a quick step back. Eddie’s stomach dropped. Richie paused, pulling his arm back towards himself. 

“Sorry, Mr. Richie,” Lonnie said quietly, his eyes on the ground.

“No, hey,” Richie knelt down on the kitchen floor, looking up at Lonnie. “You don’t need to feel sorry for that, buddy.” Lonnie nodded, still looking at the floor. “Lonnie, can you look at me?” Lonnie looked up, eyes wide. “I know you feel like you have to be brave right now, but it’s okay to be scared. Your dad and I are here to protect you, and I know I’m still a stranger right now and this is all new, but I want to be here for you every step of the way, okay?” 

“Okay, Mr. Richie.”

“Richie is fine, please don’t call me mister, makes me feel old.” Richie carefully held the piece of paper out to Lonnie, waiting for him to close the gap and take it. 

“Thank you, Richie.”

“You’re welcome! Make sure you bring it back when you’re done, okay kiddo?” Lonnie nodded and ran out of the kitchen. Richie stood up, turning to Eddie, who found himself wrapping his arms around Richie before he even realised he’d moved. 

“Thank you,” Eddie whispered, pulling away from the hug as quickly as it had started. Richie smiled at him, tapping the side of his face, before turning back to the dinner prep. 

All three of the kids ate dinner without any complaints (Chester even asking for seconds!), and Eddie was more than impressed when Haidee offered to help with the dishes. 

After dinner, they squeezed onto the couch to watch some new Netflix movie that Chester had been bugging Eddie about for weeks. Eddie and Richie sat on opposite ends on the couch, Chester and Haidee pressed between them. Lonnie was sitting between Eddie’s legs, with his own legs draped over Chester’s lap, and his head on the armrest. 

Haidee was the first to fall asleep, curled up into Richie’s side, the blanket pulled up to her chin. Lonnie was next, his head resting on Eddie’s chest, rather than the armrest. Chester managed to stay awake until the end of the film, but was yawning when the credits started rolling. Richie grabbed the remote, stopping the credits, and pulled the blanket off the kids. Getting to his feet, he gathered Haidee in his arms and carried her down the hall. 

Eddie stood up with Lonnie in his arms. Chester stood on the couch and Eddie crouched down enough for Chester to climb on his back. “Ready?” Eddie asked quietly, not wanting to wake Lonnie.

“Mhm,” Chester agreed, tightening his grip around Eddie’s shoulders. Eddie made his way down the hall, eyes flickering to Haidee’s room, where Richie was sitting on the edge of her bed, speaking quietly. 

He pushed open the door to the guest room with his foot and laid Lonnie on the left side of the bed, where the covers were already pulled back. He pulled the blanket up over his shoulder and pressed a kiss to his temple. Walking around to the other side, he maneuvered Chester off his back and set him down on the bed. “Night Dad,” Chester whispered as Eddie pulled the blankets up.

“Night Chess. I love you. I’m just down the hall if you need me,” Eddie told him brushing the hair away from his eyes. 

“I’ll be okay, Dad,” Chester mumbled, yawning. “Don’t worry about me.” 

“Okay, but if I have a nightmare I’m coming to you, deal?” Eddie asked. Chester smiled sleepily and nodded. “See you in the morning.” Eddie stood up, finding Richie leaning against the door frame in a way that was way too attractive for something that looked so natural. 

“Good night, boys,” Richie whispered as Eddie walked past him into the hall. Richie shut the door behind him, walking back towards the kitchen. “Want a beer?” He asked quietly, already opening the fridge. 

“Please,” Eddie said, hopping up on the counter like he was a fucking teenager. Richie smiled at him, popping open a couple bottles. “Thanks.”

“You’ve said that a lot today. Not much else,” Richie commented, taking a sip from his bottle.

“Yeah, sorry. I just feel out of sorts,” Eddie explained, picking at the label on his beer. “Today’s been good though, I’m just worried about the boys, y’know?” 

“I like having you guys here. I think Haidee does too. I think it can be a bit lonely, being an only child in a single-parent household.”

“Tell me about it,” Eddie laughed, walking out of the kitchen and back to the living room. He grabbed the remote off the table and started searching through Richie’s Netflix list. 

“So,” Richie said, settling at the opposite end of the couch. “How are you?”

“Fine?”

“No, I mean. How are you doing? You’ve had a long couple of trauma-filled days, man,” Richie said, kicking his feet up on Eddie’s lap. Eddie glared at Richie’s feet, doing nothing to push him off. 

“Shit,” Eddie told him. “I’m doing really bad, Rich.” Richie tapped him in the stomach with his foot, but didn’t interrupt him. “In like sixty hours I managed to remember my entire childhood, get stabbed in the face by my middle school bully, stab him back, then see his dead body with an ice pick sticking out the back of his head that my best friend decided to stick in there,” Eddie took a deep breath, setting his beer down and throwing his hands in the air. 

“And then I fought off a demon alien clown spider, and got chased by a weird tentacle, developed a fear of pomeranians, thanks to you, and then I almost got killed saving _your_ life, and then I come home, scared out of my mind I’m going to forget again. And then! And then the scariest moment of my life happens and I watch my wife, the person who is supposed to love and protect and care for my children, push my son down the stairs! Richie it was... Chess was at the bottom of the stairs and Lonnie just bounced down like a fucking ragdoll and Myra was screaming and apologising and shit.

“And then we’re leaving and she calls the cops and tells them I’m kidnapping my sons. I’m trying to finally get away from her and she’s fucking pulling me back and do you know how long that took to sort out? I’m running away from a fucking domestic situation, _finally_ , and then the police come at me like _I’m_ the bad guy. Can you imagine if the gender was reversed? If I was a woman and my husband called and said I was kidnapping my kids and I told the cops he hit me? Do you think they’d believe him for a second? No!” Eddie groaned, pulling at his hair. He grabbed his beer, chugging half of it before looking to Richie. 

“Did she?” Richie asked carefully, not moving his feet. 

“Did she what?” Eddie asked, dropping his hand to Richie’s ankle for some kind of stability. 

“Hit you?” Richie’s voice was quiet, unsteady, like he wasn’t sure if he should be asking the question. He shouldn’t. It wasn’t his business, but for some reason Eddie didn’t want to even begin to unpack, he wanted to make it Richie’s business. 

“A few times,” Eddie said quietly. “It was mostly, well. With the boys, it was like what my mom did. Shoved placebos down their throats and told them they were sick and tried to keep them inside. I mean, it was like that with me, as well. But like with me, I believed her, but with the boys, I realised it was the placebo bullshit again, and then I sort of remembered that it was that with me too and after that I tried to resist it a bit, and she got a bit more controlling. The few times she hit me it was because I wouldn’t take the meds or give her what she wanted, or whatever.

“I-obviously, as soon as I could, I told the boys about the placebos and realised that I didn’t know how to get out of the situation, and still gain full custody. I knew it would be worse for them if they didn’t have me. The three of us kinda worked together. They’d come to me if they were _actually_ sick, or hurt, and we’d all try to get rid of pills and stuff.”

“You’re a really good dad,” Richie whispered, patting Eddie’s hand where it still sat on his ankle. “You’re a good dad and a brave man and now you’re out and away and I’m really proud of you.” Eddie smiled at Richie, shoving his legs away. 

“Fuck off,” Eddie laughed, kicking his feet up on the couch as well, shins knocking with Richie’s. “So tell me about your traumas then.”

“Sorry, you haven’t unlocked ‘Vulnerable Richie’ yet, that character requires a child-free zone and at least three more units of alcohol,” Richie said in a robotic voice. He smiled at Eddie, finishing off his beer and snatching the remote from where Eddie had dropped it on the couch.

“You’re a shit, y’know that Tozier?” 

“You know what, you got something really amazing out of this trauma-filled weekend!”

“Oh? What’s that?”

“Me!”

“That’s literally the most traumatizing part.”

“That why you moved across the country to live with me?”

“Fuck you.”

“Fuck _you_.”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_August 31, 2016_

“So,” Eddie said, closing the door behind him with one hand, balancing Richie’s laptop in the other. Richie was sprawled across his- _their_ bed, on his back, his head and arms hanging off the bed as he stared at the ceiling. “What are you doing?” 

“Writing,” Richie said, reaching towards the ceiling with one hand and wiggling his fingers. 

“Excuse me?” 

“Writing,” Richie repeated, dropping his hand. “My own material, finally.” 

“But you’re not... writing?” Eddie said, crawling on the bed, still balancing the laptop. 

“It’s a process, Eds. Sometimes you gotta stare at the ceiling for three hours. Sometimes you gotta go on a ten-mile run. Sometimes you’re eating eggs and all of a sudden the whole bit is there. Don’t question it.”

“Right,” Eddie laughed, shaking his head. “Well. I was just on the phone with the NYPD.” 

“Oh?” Richie sat up, crossing his legs, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. “And?” 

“ _And,_ ” Eddie said, reading off the laptop. “Myra’s been charged with assault, reckless endangerment, threatening us, and coercion. We’ve been issued a temporary protection order, and I’ve started the process on actual restraining orders.”

Richie let out a long puff of air. “Shit.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said, rubbing his face. “We have to testify on September sixteenth. So we’ll have to be back in New York then.” 

“They’re going to make you testify?”

“I mean, yeah? It’s a criminal case-”

“And the boys too? Shouldn’t there be protection laws against you having to do that?” Richie asked. “Lonnie has to sit in that court and _see_ his mother after she did that to him? There has to be some way-”

“They need to be there. I’m working with my lawyer to see if we can have them testify in a separate room from her, but-”

“What about you?”

“What about me?” Eddie asked, closing the laptop. “It’s not like I can’t be in the same room as her, Rich.”

“I don’t think I could be in the same room as someone who hurt Haidee,” Richie said, placing his hand on Eddie’s shoulder. “Also, y’know... she hurt you, you shouldn’t have to be okay with being near her.”

“I’m not weak, Richie,” Eddie argued, furrowing his brows. “She doesn’t scare me.” But that was a lie, because Eddie would rather face Pennywise again and again and again than sit in a courtroom with Myra and tell people how easily she overpowered him. 

Richie was quiet for a long moment. “You’re the strongest person I know, dude. But that doesn’t mean you should _have_ to go through that.”

“Well,” Eddie gulped, a twisty feeling starting in his gut. “Regardless. I’m already being pegged as weak by society for letting my wife abuse me and my kids. It’s not like the world has much sympathy for male victims of abuse. Domestic abuse shelters barely even take men or fathers or,” Eddie paused, clearing his throat. “It doesn’t matter if I want to see her or not Richie. If I want to win this, and keep her as far away from my boys as possible, I need to do it.” 

“Well,” Richie said, tapping the side of Eddie’s face over his cut, _again_. 

“Ow!”

“Sorry, sorry,” Richie said, dropping his hand. “Why don’t we all go together? We can 

take a weekend trip to NYC, clean out your old house, maybe the boys could see some friends?” 

Eddie sighed, tapping his fingers against the keys lightly, not hard enough to actually type anything. Richie watched him patiently, and Eddie felt a warmth begin to stir in his stomach. “Yeah, alright,” he agreed, a smile spreading across his face. “I’d like that.” 

“Woo! Family road trip!” Richie cheered, clapping his hands together. Eddie rolled his eyes, sighing. 

“There is _no way_ I am driving across the country with you. The flight is going to be 

bad enough.”

“Oh, c’mon Spaghetti! We were separated for twenty years! I’m sure you’d kill to spend a few days in a car with me and three children.”

“Yeah,” Eddie nodded, shoving Richie’s shoulder. “Kill myself maybe.” Richie’s smile faltered, his eyes flitting to Eddie’s chest for a moment, before clutching a hand over his heart and falling back on the bed. 

“You wound me, Eds!” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_September 16, 2016_

“I’m proud of you boys,” Richie said, buckling up his seatbelt. “You did really good in there.” He pulled the rental out of the courthouse parkade, turning onto the main road. Eddie sat in the passenger seat, heart racing, desperate for a hit of his inhaler. His leg bounced, hands clenched into fists, nails digging into his palms.

His mind raced, words from the trail playing over and over again in his mind. All he could see was Myra’s face. The way she looked at him as he took the stand, like she knew she could knock him down with a single word. She’d smiled when he’d started to tell his stories, only breaking her composure to start wailing when he talked about anything she’d done to the boys. 

How she’d denied everything the boys had said, yelling over the live stream of them playing from the other room. They weren’t able to hear her, thankfully, but her words made Eddie’s stomach churn horribly. 

Her lawyer had fought for visitation rights, and a plan to work to gain partial custody upon serving her sentence. 

Eddie walked out of the courtroom with signed divorce papers, three restraining orders against Myra, and full, non-negotiable custody of Lonnie and Chester. 

Myra had left divorced and childless with a two-year prison sentence, and an order to attend specialized therapy for Munchausen Syndrome upon her release. 

Eddie barely registered his surroundings until suddenly he was sitting on the hotel bed, water running in the background, his shoes and jacket placed on the chair near the window. 

“Hey,” Richie said quietly as he walked out of the bathroom. “You with me?” Eddie’s eyes flickered to meet Richie’s, completely disoriented. 

“What?” 

“You zoned out in the car, had a bit of a panic attack and then just blanked.”

“Did the kids-”

“I don’t think they noticed. They ran up here straight away when I told them they could pick dinner off the room service menu,” Richie explained, crouching down in front of Eddie and rubbing his hands over his arms. “I’m running a bath for you.” 

“Thanks,” Eddie said, breathing heavily. “Sorry. I- sorry, I was just thinking about everything that happened.”

“It’s okay,” Richie said lightly, squeezing Eddie’s hands. “It’s over and done with and it went so well and you did so good. I’m proud of you.”

“You’re turning into a sap with old age,” Eddie said, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. 

“There he is,” Richie said, smiling back. Eddie wanted to kiss him. “Alright, you have a bath, and I’ll go deal with this room service promise.”

“You’re being too nice, give me a dick joke,” Eddie laughed, taking off his socks and belt. 

“If you wanted my dick, you just need to ask,” Richie told him with a wink. Eddie briefly considered asking. Considered falling onto the bed, his hands tangled in Richie’s hair, lips sliding together.

“You wish,” Eddie said, working on the buttons of his shirt. He paused when he noticed Richie staring at his fingers. Richie met his gaze and winked again before turning from the room.

_Whatthefuck._

\--------------------

Eddie laid in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Richie was snoring in the bed beside him, the kids asleep in the next room. The clock on the table read 2:09. It was two am and Eddie couldn’t fall asleep because he couldn’t get the image of his ex-wife out of his head. Richie hadn’t brought up the stories he’d told, about things that Myra had done to him, but Eddie almost wished he had. He wanted Richie to know these things just so he knew they were real.

Eddie rolled over to stare at Richie. He was asleep on his stomach, sprawled out like a starfish, his hand reaching toward Eddie’s bed. _Fuck it._ Eddie flung his covers off, climbing out of his bed and straight into Richie’s. 

“Well _hello there_ ,” Richie mumbled suggestively, rolling onto his side and holding the covers up. “Couldn’t stay away?” 

“You didn’t ask me any questions about it,” Eddie said, sitting up, cross-legged beside Richie. Richie dropped his arm holding the blanket and hauled himself into a sitting position. 

“About which part?”

“What she did to me! I told all those stories about what she did to me and you didn’t say anything! Are you scared? Do you think I’ll run away, or get mad? Do you not care?” _Oh God_ , Eddie thought as the tears started flowing down his face. _Don’t fucking cry, what the fuck is wrong with you?_

“Eddie,” Richie said, his own voice breaking. “Come here.” Eddie felt Richie’s arms around his shoulders, pulling him into his chest. Eddie buried his face in Richie’s neck, trying to stop the tears. “I want to hear everything you want to tell me. Of course I’m scared, and it might make me sad, but if you want to tell me something, I will _always_ listen.” 

“Like you listened about my job back in Derry?” Eddie asked, poking him in the chest.

“If you really want to tell me about your job, dude, I’ll listen.” 

“I don’t,” Eddie admitted. “Can I just.... Can I just tell you some things that happened? I know I said a lot there but it felt so robotic and she was staring at me and giving me this _look_ and I just felt like I had to push the facts out and I didn’t really want anyone in the room to hear.” 

“Go for it, I’m all ears,” Richie said into his hair. 

“Stop me if it’s like... too much?” 

“Of course,” Richie whispered, running his fingers through Eddie’s hair. He thought back for a moment to being fourteen and laying on his own bed, just like this, with Richie after his mom had done something. And every time after that that it just got too much and Richie just held him. Eddie had never been much of a crier, but something about being vulnerable with Richie really opened the floodgates. 

“Right. Okay. I’ll maybe just talk about the out of the ordinary stuff? Like I’m sure you can figure out the whole... sicknesses and placebos and everything that was exactly like my mom.”

“Sure.”

“Alright.” Eddie paused, taking a shaky breath. “I guess... the first time she got physical was before we were married. Before I had even proposed. I think we’d only been dating for like six months. I had just about had it with her by that point, my mother be damned, there was no way I was going to stay with Myra any longer. We were at our apartment and we were arguing about something useless and she shoved me, which I wasn’t too concerned about, to be honest, but I’m pretty sure I told her to fuck off after that, and was about to break up with her, and then she hit me. Like not even a slap, like a full-on punch. She packs a good one, I’ll give her that.

“I let it go, to be honest. I just figured we were too worked up and it clearly wasn’t working out but then somehow it was two years later and we were three weeks away from our wedding and I had no idea how I even got there. We were at the store and I wanted something, or to go somewhere, and she didn’t and I remember she fucking dragged me out of there by my wrist. It hurt so bad, the grip she had on my wrist, and I couldn’t shake it. We were also in public so I wasn’t about to cause a scene. She ended up doing that a lot, squeezing my wrist like that and dragging me around.

“The next time was a few days into our honeymoon. We, uh, I told her I was waiting for marriage, because like... I didn’t want to have sex with her. And then we didn’t do anything on our wedding night, because it’s fucking exhausting, and the next day we were flying overnight and then I’d made up some excuse the next day but then... then she said we were going to and I told her I wasn’t ready.”

Richie’s grip tightened comfortingly. “So uh, yeah obviously she was bigger and stronger. So we had sex.” Eddie paused, not really sure where to go from there. That one hadn’t come out on the stand. Or any of the times that happened afterwards. “We had sex, or whatever you want to call it, seven times while we were married. It was the same every time.”

“Eddie,” Richie started. 

“There’s nothing to say, Rich. It’s over, it’s done.” Richie didn’t say anything else, only sniffled into the silence of the room. “The, uh, third and fourth time were an attempt for kids. I think she knew I wouldn’t leave if we had kids together. Uh, so yeah. The last time, the seventh, was the night before I flew to Derry.

“There was some other stuff,” Eddie explained, pushing past the subject. “Like she also pushed _me_ down the stairs once. I didn’t break anything but I had a really nasty bruise for like a month. And there were two times she tried to, uh, like strangle me? Once was the night before Derry, and another one was when the boys were four and I told her I wasn’t going to let her not vaccinate them. 

“That one was pretty bad. She, uh, I genuinely think she might have killed me. She had me pinned to the floor and my arms were stuck by my sides, and I couldn’t fight back at all. One of the boys starts crying and she ran off, literally seconds before I passed out. It took me a few minutes to get myself off the floor after that.

“They are vaccinated, by the way, because fuck that,” Eddie tacked on, with a bitter laugh. “She could try to kill me but my kids aren’t dying of smallpox. Anyways, yeah. I mean the hitting and stuff happened a few more times. Like every few months or so, but it wasn’t that different.”

“Thanks for telling me,” Richie whispered into his hair, still holding him tight.

“Thanks for listening,” Eddie whispered back. “I just- I wanted you to know. I don’t know why. I just need someone else to know, and I wanted it to be you.” 

“Good. Because I want to know everything there is to know about you, Eds. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Remember what I said to Lonnie that first night? I want to be here, every step of the way, and I mean it, Eddie.”

“Fucking sap,” Eddie whispered, pulling at Richie until they were both laying under the covers. “Good night, nerd.” 

“Eddie?” 

“Hm?”

“You know,” Richie cleared his throat, closing his eyes. “You know I’d never hurt you, right?” 

“Richie,” Eddie said, brushing away a tear that was making its way across the bridge of Richie’s nose. “I _know_. I brought my kids to live with you, didn’t I? That must mean something.”

“Love you,” Richie mumbled, turning his face into the pillow. 

“Yeah, yeah, love you too, Rich.” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_September 17, 2016_

“Ready?” Richie asked from behind the kids. Eddie nodded, pushing the door open and stepping into the house. “Wow, thought you’d have dusted more,” Richie commented, following the kids inside. 

“Fuck off, no one’s been here in three weeks,” Eddie snapped, looking around the room at the thin layer of dust that had collected. “Alright boys, pack all your clothes up first!” The kids raced up the stairs, Haidee following Chester to his room. 

“Nice bloodstains,” Richie commented, pointing at Eddie’s shirt that lay in the same place it had been left. 

“Thanks, did it myself,” Eddie mumbled, walking off towards the safe. He rummaged through it, pulling out everything that wasn’t Myra’s. Richie came over, holding open the lockable briefcase he’d brought with him. Eddie dropped everything in and locked it.

They tackled the storage room first. Eddie had a hard time wanting to keep _anything_. There were some things he wanted for the boys’ sakes, some things from Derry that hadn’t meant a thing a month ago, and a box of his dad’s things. They grabbed almost nothing from the main floor, other than clothes. There were a few photos that Eddie grabbed off the walls, some of his favourite books, the Xbox (Richie only had a PS4), and some stuff from the kitchen that Richie lacked. 

He grabbed his still full suitcase from Derry and trudged up the stairs to his room. When he pushed the door open, he half expected to see Myra standing on the other side. He threw his suitcase on the bed, dumping its contents everywhere. 

“Are you sure this is _your_ room?” Richie asked, stepping in after he’d checked on the kids. 

“What do you mean?” 

“This looks more what I imagine grown-up Stan would decorate a bedroom like, not you. Where are the collectible comics? The records? The rainbow collection of booty shorts?”

“Fuck off,” Eddie laughed, digging around in his bedside table, throwing old inhalers and a bottle of lube onto the floor. “The comics are in one of those boxes from Derry, the _running_ shorts are in the closet, where clothes go, and I have cassettes, not records, we didn’t grow up in the sixties man!”

“Cassettes?” Richie asked. Eddie nodded, gesturing over his shoulder to the shelf that housed his cassette collection. 

“Holy shit! Is that your old walkman? It still works?” Richie asked, grabbing it down from the shelf. 

“When you’re careful with your things they don’t break,” Eddie explained, looking under his bed.

“When was the last time you used this thing?” 

“Like a week before De- oh God,” Eddie jumped to his feet, running to Richie and snatching the player out of his hands.

“Jesus, what the fuck is wrong?” Richie asked, giving him a weird look. Eddie ignored him, popping the walkman open, glancing at the cassette, and then closing it quickly. His heart skipped and he started laughing, a bit hysterical. “Are you alright?”

“Jesus,” Eddie said, pulling the tape out and waving it in Richie’s face. “I’ve been listening to this thing since I was eighteen and couldn’t remember where it came from.” Richie grabbed the tape, eyes going wide as he recognised his own handwriting scrawled across it. “You gave that to me the day I left!” 

“I can’t believe you still have this,” Richie said, grabbing both the cassette and the walkman, putting it back in and pressing play. He slipped the headphones on and smiled at Eddie. “You fucking sap.”

“If I’d’ve known it was from you I would have thrown it out forever ago,” Eddie protested, grabbing the rest of his cassettes off the shelf. “Don’t break that thing, it’s my pride and joy.” 

“You love this mixtape more than your own children?” Richie asked, pressing stop and carefully taking it off. 

“I meant the walkman, you shithead,” Eddie said, turning to his closet. He walked in, saw all the clothes, most of them from Myra, and walked out, feeling slightly nauseated. “I hate everything in there.” 

“Everything?” Richie asked, walking into the closet ahead of him. “Don’t lie, look at all these booty shorts!” Richie tossed a handful of Eddie’s running shorts out of the closet. Eddie grabbed them, stuffing them into his suitcase. 

“Can you just... can you grab the things you think are... me and not her?” 

“I can tell the difference between her clothes and yours, Eds,” Richie teased, tossing an old university crewneck at Eddie.

“I just mean-”

“The shit she didn’t force you into, yeah, I know. I got you,” Richie interrupted, tossing a few more things at Eddie. Everything that Richie pulled out was something that Eddie had chosen himself, and Eddie’s heart swelled, knowing that Richie knew him so well even after two decades apart. That was until Richie, who was digging through the dresser, tossed one of Myra’s slinky nightgowns at him. “That’s yours, right?” 

“You’re an asshole,” Eddie laughed, picking it up and tossing it back at Richie. 

“I’m having trouble with the underwear situation here, are you the tighty whity fan or is she? This drawer is half and half, dude.”

“Richie. Seeing you in tighty whities every day at the quarry made me realise that those are the most unflattering things to exist.” 

“You stared at my junk every time we went? That’s pretty fucking gay, my dude,” Richie teased, tossing the boxer briefs one by one at Eddie’s head. “Oooh, these yours too?” 

Eddie looked up to see Richie holding a pair of black panties, which yes, were actually Eddie’s. _Fuck you_ , Eddie could indulge in some personal shit once in a while. Richie poked his head out grinning, clearly teasing. Eddie considered telling him they were Myra’s, and that maybe she’d been thinner when they first started dating or something. Eddie then considered how uncomfortable he could make Richie by telling the truth.

“Oh, yeah! Almost forgot about those,” Eddie said, holding his hand out for Richie to toss them to him. Richie didn’t move. His eyes flickered between Eddie and the panties, jaw dropped.

“You’re lying,” Richie murmured, rubbing the lace between his fingers just slightly, Eddie wouldn’t have noticed if he wasn’t already staring at Richie’s hands. _Fuck_ , this felt way too suggestive.

“Those wouldn’t fit Myra,” Eddie said simply, beckoning for Richie to hand them over with two of his fingers. Richie raised his eyebrows, staring at the panties for a long second before shrugging and tossing them to Eddie. He quickly turned, disappearing back into the closet. Eddie smiled to himself, trying not to laugh, as he tucked the underwear into his suitcase. 

“Do you want-” Richie’s voice cracked, and Eddie almost lost his composure. “Do you want anything from these boxes at the top?” 

“Oh yeah, that green box!” Eddie called, listening until he heard Richie rummaging. “It has my dildo in it!” Eddie heard all the boxes fall, and Richie yelped. Eddie laughed loudly, clapping his hands as Richie emerged from the closet. “I’m _kidding_ , holy fuck!”

“You call me an asshole?” Richie said, his voice still unsteady. Eddie only laughed harder. “Stop laughing, you fuckface! It’s not funny!”

“This is absolutely the funniest thing that’s ever happened. Maybe _I_ should go into comedy.” 

“Fuck you, Kaspbrak,” Richie muttered, crossing his arms across his chest. Eddie, for some unknown reason (seriously, _what the fuck Eddie)_ , winked at him, zipping his suitcase closed. 

\-------------------

“You guys have anywhere in mind for dinner?” Eddie asked, loading the last box into the back of the moving truck. 

“Big Daddy’s!” Lonnie shouted, bouncing excitedly. 

“Oh please, Dad!” Chester added. “We haven’t been there in years!” 

“Big what now?” Richie asked, hopping out of the back of the van. “Big _Daddy’s_?”

“It’s a diner,” Eddie explained, his face heating up. “Please don’t make it weird.” 

“I don’t think I could make it any more weird than it already is.” 

It turns out Richie could definitely make it weirder than it already was. Once the food had arrived, all three kids ran off to go wash their hands. Richie grabbed Eddie’s milkshake from him, before he even had a chance to stop him, and took a sip. “That’s so fucking good.”

Eddie and Richie had both picked a shake off the ‘adult’ menu. Eddie’s was chocolate with some hazelnut liqueur, while Richie had gone for some oreo one with vodka in it. The kids had each gotten a shake as well. Haidee had gone for a birthday cake flavour, Chester for an oreo one similar to Richie’s (sans vodka), and Lonnie had gone for a plain strawberry one.

“This place is fucking amazing,” Richie commented through a mouthful of burger (something with mac and cheese on it, which was sure to kick start a heart attack). “And not only because it has the kinkiest name ever.”

“I’m sure there are restaurants with far kinkier names than ‘Big Daddy’s’ Rich,” Eddie said, rolling his eyes as he finished cutting Lonnie’s burger in half. 

“Daddy doesn’t do it for ya, Eds?” Richie teased, sending him a wink. Eddie felt his face heat up, but he fought to keep his expression neutral. 

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” He teased back, raising his eyebrows. Richie held his gaze for a moment, before squinting, a smirk pulling at the corner of his mouth. 

“Don’t tell me you prefer ‘ _baby_ ’,” Richie teased, dropping his voice low. Eddie’s dick jumped in his pants and he glared at Richie, trying not to let his face betray him. He shoved about five fries in his mouth at once, chewing angrily. The kids arrived back to the table before Richie could push the subject even further. Eddie glared at his milkshake, hating the way his brain _and_ his dick reacted to that word on Richie’s tongue. 

“Dad, what time do we fly out tomorrow?” Chester asked, sipping his milkshake. 

“Seven at night, I told you that twice already today,” Eddie said, avoiding looking at Richie. Chester frowned, his eyebrows scrunching on his forehead. 

“You did?” He asked, setting his shake down. The glass hit the edge of his plate as he let go, and crashed to the table, spilling the drink everywhere. “Fuck.”

“It’s okay,” Eddie said, pulling Chester’s chair away from the table before any of the shake could drip onto him. Richie ran to grab some napkins from the server. 

“Way to go, dumbass,” Lonnie teased, laughing into his drink. “You know you’re supposed to drink it right? Not dump it all over everyone’s dinner?” 

“Shut up,” Chester shot back, glaring. “Wish I dumped it all over your dinner.” 

“Oh good one,” Lonnie countered. 

“Boys-” Eddie started just as Richie got back to the table. They quickly cleaned it up, and one of the servers came over with a freshly made shake for Chester. 

The rest of the meal went fine, only minor arguing from Lonnie and Chester, but Eddie decided to give them a break, given everything that had happened yesterday. 

“Got yourself a klutz there, Kaspbrak,” Richie teased, bumping shoulders with him as they left the restaurant. “Sure he’s not my kid?”

“He’s not usually like that,” Eddie whispered, making sure the kids couldn’t hear. “It just started before Derry, it’s like-” A _terrible_ thought hit Eddie, but he shoved it away. _Stop it_ , he told himself, taking a deep breath. Thinking like that only made him more like Myra and his mom. Chester was _fine_. 

“Like puberty’s hitting?” Richie finished for him, laughter sparkling in his eyes. Eddie let out a breath of relief and nodded. Puberty, that’s all it was. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_September 24, 2016_

“Mind watching the boys for a few hours?” Eddie asked Richie as he came out of the washroom. Richie glanced up from his laptop. 

“Sure,” he said. “Got a hot date?” 

“I was thinking of taking Haidee out?” Eddie said, his cheeks heating up slightly. “I haven’t really got to spend any time with just her, and I think it’s important that I do.” 

“Gunning for dad of the year?” Richie teased, heaving himself up so he was no longer slouched against his pillows. Eddie rolled his eyes. “Whatcha gonna do?”

“I was thinking the arcade and ice cream,” Eddie told him, grabbing a pair of jeans from the drawer. 

“What, just because _I’m_ easily won over by street fighter, you think my daughter will be too?” Richie teased. Eddie rolled his eyes, slipping into his jeans before crossing his arms over his bare chest. 

“Am I wrong?” 

Richie’s eyes flitted to Eddie’s chest for a moment and Eddie watched him swallow. Heat prickled at the back of his neck and he dropped his hands to his sides awkwardly. 

“You are not,” Richie said after a moment too long. Eddie laughed, hoping it didn’t sound too uncomfortable, and turned to grab a sweatshirt from the closet. “I like this look you’re going for.”

“What look?” 

“Y’know. Jeans, sweaters, growing your hair out. It looks good.” Richie said it with ease, like his words weren’t making all of Eddie’s blood run south. 

“You like my hair longer?” He asked, trying to keep his voice steady as he moved to the dresser again to find a pair of socks. 

“It’s giving me flashbacks to when you grew it out in sophomore year. _Your_ curls gave _mine_ a run for their money,” Richie said, pulling at his hair. He’d been letting it grow out since Derry, some of the pieces reaching his shoulder. “Think I should cut mine off?” 

“What?” Eddie stopped, one sock on. “Isn’t that like a Trashmouth trademark?” 

“I’m thinking Trashmouth might need a makeover.” 

“I mean, grow it out for another week and it’ll be long enough to put up. Trashmouth could finally have his hipster phase,” Eddie laughed, pulling the other sock on and moving to sit on the edge of the bed. Richie tapped his fingers on his laptop, staring off into space. 

“I want to be a little more ‘real’, y’know?” Richie asked, closing the lid of his laptop and sitting up. “Like. People don’t know I’m a dad. They don’t know anything important about me, they just know this character that I made twenty years ago.”

“Are you going to keep ‘Trashmouth’?” Eddie asked, trying to imagine Richie with a different stage name.

“Of course. But I can finally explain _why_ that’s my name because I remember now. I can talk about you guys. I can have a whole segment on the sitcom that’s our life right now,” Richie said, gesturing around the room. “The hipster man bun isn’t gonna fit with the whole Two and a Half Men deal.” 

“Hey, nothing like a modern re-boot,” Eddie laughed.

“If it was a modern re-boot we’d be getting married next week,” Richie added, setting his laptop to the side. “What do you think? Cutting it short, I mean. Not getting married.” 

“Here I was, thinking you were about to propose,” Eddie sighed, falling backwards onto the bed and laying across Richie’s legs. His heart fluttered at the thought.

“Sorry honeybun, forgot to grab the ring,” Richie joked, poking Eddie’s side. “But for real, do you think it’s a good idea?” 

“If you want to cut your hair, do it. It’d look fantastic,” Eddie told him, rolling down the length of Richie’s legs to get away from the jabbing fingers. “And for the record, I think changing your act will be great. I can already see the headlines. ‘Trashmouth Tozier comes out: as a father!’”

“Where has Tozier been hiding this elusive child for the past eleven years? Why is he only coming forward with it now? What does her mother think of the comedian’s crude and offensive humor?” 

“Gay rumors fly as Tozier and daughter gain three new roommates. Could Tozier and mystery man be having a secret romance?” _What the fuck, Eddie._

“Will Tozier’s daughter suffer in light of the new-found fame and the addition of a new father figure? Will she, along with mystery man’s sons, be bullied and taunted for their fathers’ choices, or will this be a blessing in disguise for the new-found family?” 

“Jesus Christ Rich, way to make it dark,” Eddie half laughed, half groaned, throwing an arm over his eyes. 

“Is it alright if I write you three into bits? I can use fake names or whatever, but-” 

“Sure,” Eddie agreed, dropping his hand away from his eyes. “That’s fine, man. Honest. I mean they’re almost at the age where they’ll be getting social media, and there’s no hiding it then.”

“Oh God, anything but Instagram,” Richie groaned, dropping his head into his hands. “I’ve been avoiding social media for so long.”

“Maybe that’s how you should make your new debut! Cut your hair, post a photo with Haidee, really connect with the youths, y’know?” Eddie suggested, heaving himself off the bed. “They’re the ones you’re gonna have to impress.” 

“Not a bad idea,” Richie said, lifting his head up. “Maybe I’ll take the boys to the barber today.”

“That’d be nice,” Eddie smiled, leaning against the bed. “Myra always controlled their hair and the way they dressed, so it’d be really good if they could find a style they like?”

“Any rules from Dad before I tell them they can do whatever the fuck they want?” Richie asked, throwing the blanket off and walking towards the washroom.

“No frosted tips!” 

“Oh?” Richie leaned against the doorframe. “Any off-limit colours?” 

“Be reasonable,” Eddie said. “No pink and white leopard print, no green and orange stripes, got it?” 

“So if Chess gets there and asks for a blue mohawk I can let him do that?” 

“Try to push for a nice blue at least,” Eddie said, leaving the room.

“I like this rebellious phase, Kaspbrak!” Richie yelled after him. Eddie rolled his eyes, heading to Haidee’s room. He found her lying on the floor, drawing something in one of her sketchbooks. 

“Hey Haidee,” Eddie said, knocking on the doorframe. Haidee looked up from her book and smiled at him. “You busy?”

“Not really,” she said, shaking her head and sitting up. “Why?”

“Wanna go to the arcade?” Eddie asked. Haidee nodded, getting to her feet. 

“Right now?” 

“Yep, get your coat and shoes on!” 

The drive to the arcade was about forty minutes, thanks to LA traffic. It was surprisingly empty when they got there, which Eddie appreciated, because he was planning on playing every game at least once. He bought way too many tokens and followed Haidee to the center of the arcade. 

“I haven’t been here in so long,” Haidee said, running up to an old school Street Fighter game. “This one is Daddy’s favourite.” 

“It was his favourite when we were kids too,” Eddie said, slipping a few tokens into the machine. “Does your dad have the high score on this machine too?” 

“No, we don’t really come that much,” Haidee explained, already starting the game. Eddie was pleased to find he had retained some muscle memory for this game, because he honestly didn’t have a clue what was going on. 

“Really?” Eddie asked. “I thought your dad would spend every free second of his life here.” 

“Yeah, but he gets his panic attacks here and-” Haidee gasped. “I’m not supposed to tell you that.” 

Eddie forfeited the game.

“Your dad has panic attacks?” 

“He asked me not to tell you. Please don’t tell him I said anything, it was a mistake,” Haidee pouted, wringing her hands together. Eddie sighed, messing up his hair a bit.

“Haidee, I’m not going to tell on you, but can you do something for me?” He asked, digging into his pocket and pulling out another token to fidget with. Haidee nodded, still looking worried. “Can you tell me about them, so I can help your dad if he ever has one? I won’t tell him I know, I promise.” 

“But it’s his secret. He says you shouldn’t share other people’s secrets,” Haidee pointed out.

“You’re absolutely right. But if your dad has a panic attack and I don’t know how to help him, then he could get hurt, and I don’t want that, make sense?” Haidee nodded. “You don’t have to tell me, but I’d like you to.”

“He gets them at the arcade and when he tries to talk about being a kid and sometimes randomly,” Haidee started, looking around the arcade as if Richie was just gonna pop out. “He gets really scared and has trouble breathing and does these big breaths.”

“Do you know what helps him?” 

“He takes one white pill from the medicine cupboard. It’s the only one inside that starts with an ‘X’ so I know which one it is. He also needs a glass of water,” Haidee told him. “Oh! And he likes hugs too!” 

“I’ll make sure to smother your dad in hugs if he ever starts breathing funny,” Eddie promised, placing his hand on Haidee’s shoulder. “Thank you for telling me. Now, how about a rematch?” 

They spent three hours working through every game and playing their favourites over and over again. Eddie was sure he was going to have a heart attack after their fourth game of DDR, so he decided to call it quits and they drove to a nearby ice cream parlour. Haidee chatted excitedly the whole way there about her favourite music, and some kids in her class. 

“Eddie?” Haidee asked, sitting down with her ice cream cone. She’d gotten one scoop of chocolate fudge, and one scoop of bubblegum. Eddie had gone for classic vanilla. No, not because it was boring, because it actually tasted great, fuck you very much. 

“Haidee?” 

“Thanks for taking me out today.”

“You’re welcome,” Eddie smiled, taking a spoonful of his ice cream. “I had a really good time.”

“Me too! I really like having you guys here,” she admitted. 

“Oh? Chess and Lon aren’t too smelly?” 

“I mean they’re boys and all boys smell like shit,” Haidee pointed out with a shrug. 

“Even me and your dad?” 

“Especially you and Daddy.” Eddie feigned a look of offence before laughing it off and digging into his ice cream. Haidee told him about the school’s drama club, and how she was trying to convince Chester and Lonnie to join. Lonnie’s friend Max was apparently in it, so it wasn’t going to be a very hard sell. “I’m confused.”

“About what, sweetheart?” Eddie asked, turning towards her on the bench. 

“Well. Kids at school said you guys moved in with us because you and Daddy are dating.”

“Oh?” 

“Some of them are nice, they say it’s because you’re in love or whatever, but some people are dickheads and say that it’s wrong and I don’t really understand.”

“Which part don’t you understand?” 

“Well,” Haidee sighed. “Well, I guess a lot. Like, are you two dating? Because I don’t think so because I don’t think you wouldn’t tell us but if you are that’s okay. I also don’t really get why it’s such a big deal if you are together, like, why’s it any different than having a mom and a dad? Besides like I don’t even have a mom, so like having two dads is pretty cool I think, but a lot of people say it’s wrong and I don’t get it. It’s fucking dumb, why are people so mean?” 

“Are they being mean to _you_ about it?” Eddie asked, guilt pulling at his heart. 

“Sometimes. Mostly Lonnie,” Haidee told him with a shrug. “I’m still confused.” 

“Well. First of all, no, your dad and I aren’t dating.”

“Why not?”

“I-” Eddie paused. _Fantastic question kiddo._ “Just because you’re living with someone, doesn’t mean you have to be dating. Lots of people have roommates.”

“I know _that_ ,” Haidee said, rolling her eyes. “I just mean, like, you should be, so why aren’t you?” 

“What do you mean, we should be?” 

“You make each other happy and Daddy’s doing so much better and he doesn’t get sick as much anymore, which I think is just his mental health because he always lets me take a day off school after he gets better to make my mental health better. But he hasn’t got sick since you came around and I like this. We’re like a family. Like yeah, Daddy and I are a family, and I don’t need anyone else for it to be complete but it feels like we should be one big family cause everyone is really happy and it’s like I have brothers and two dads, and I know you’ve only been here for like a month but really I think you and Daddy should get your shit together and date already.” 

Eddie stared at her, open mouth for a moment, before bursting into laughter. “Jesus, Haids, you’re really subtle about the whole thing. Tell you what, we can stay a family as long as you’ll keep us, sound good?” 

“Okay,” Haidee agreed, getting up and dropping her napkin in the garbage. They walked over to the car and started to head home. 

“So kids are picking on Lonnie?” Eddie asked carefully, turning onto the highway. 

“Kinda. They say it’s wrong that you and Daddy are dating, even though you’re not, and they say that you guys made him like that too.”

“Like what?” 

“They think he’s gay,” Haidee said, meeting Eddie’s gaze in the rearview mirror. “Which is fine if he is. If any of you are. But the kids aren’t nice about it and it’s not like he even knows yet so...”

Eddie thought back to being eleven, spending everyday with Bill and Richie and Stan, all of them, especially Richie, starting to talk about girls. Did Eddie know then? He certainly knew that he didn’t understand the obsession with tits. Did he know that summer, when Beverly was suddenly thrown into the mix and he spent days at the quarry pretending he cared that she was running around in her underwear? He definitely knew when Richie, drunk and high and fifteen years old, had sucked a hickey into his collarbone on a dare (the dare had been his neck, but Eddie knew Richie knew his mom would kill him if she saw). 

“It used to be really dangerous for people to be gay,” Eddie told her, focusing on the road in front of him. “If you came out, you were in danger of getting hurt or even killed.”

“But why?”

“Because people think it’s wrong.”

“But _why?_ ”

“I don’t know,” Eddie sighed, his brain tired from battling the same question for the last forty years. “I think a lot of people believe that sex is only for having children, and that can only be done between a man and a woman-”

“A penis and a vagina,” Haidee corrected. “Doesn’t have to be a man and a woman.” Eddie smiled, nodding.

“You’re right, but most times people who don’t like gay people also don’t like people who aren’t cisgender and-”

“But they did nothing wrong!” Haidee said, frustrated. “Who even cares about sex? It’s about love, not sex, and it’s not even their business! It’s not like they’re somehow part of the relationship!” 

Eddie sighed again, his fingers twitching, itching to grab his inhaler. “I know. _I know_. I don’t get it either,” he admitted. “Honest, it doesn’t make any sense but it is so violent and so scary that it doesn’t really matter because they’re going to be hurt for it anyways.”

“If Lonnie is gay, is he gonna get hurt?” Haidee asked quietly. 

“Nah,” Eddie shook his head, wishing he could believe it. “He’s got you and Chess.”

“If you and Daddy are gay, will you get hurt?”

“Haidee...” Eddie sighed. “You don’t need to protect us, okay? Things are different now, from when we were kids and it’s not a death sentence to come out and-” 

“Are you gay?” 

“Haidee you shouldn’t ask people those questions,” Eddie said, taking an exit onto a side street, hoping to bypass some of the traffic. “It’s really important that people get to choose when to come out on their own.”

“I’m sorry,” Haidee whispered, her eyes falling to her lap.

“Hey, it’s okay, you didn’t know,” Eddie told her. “I don’t mind, I just want to help you so you don’t accidentally hurt someone.”

“Oh, okay,” Haidee said with a nod. 

“For the record I am. Gay.” The silence that followed was painstaking. Eddie held his breath, keeping his eyes on the road in front of him. Eddie felt like he was nineteen again, coming out for the first time. Even though Haidee had just ranted about how dumb homophobia was.

“I’m even more confused why you and Daddy aren’t dating now.”

Eddie burst out laughing, his eyes tearing up so much he nearly had to pull over. 

\---------------------

“We’re home!” Eddie yelled, following Haidee through the front door. Haidee kicked her shoes off and ran off, while Eddie knelt down to untie his shoes. 

“Hey, how’d it go?” Eddie looked up at the sound of Richie’s voice. He was leaning against the entry to the kitchen, arms crossed, his hair freshly cut. Eddie’s eyes landed on the haircut and his brain went fuzzy for a moment. 

Eddie had thought ‘cutting it short’ meant that the curls would still be there, but would maybe sit around his ears, rather than his shoulders. Apparently ‘cutting it short’ _actually_ meant cutting it so that the sides were barely an inch long, with longer, loose waves on the top. He looked hot as fuck. 

“What do you think?” Richie asked, gesturing to his hair with one hand, the other still across his chest as if he was actually insecure about it. 

“It looks amazing,” Eddie said, finally getting his shoes off and standing up. 

“Really?” Richie’s eyes dropped to the ground for a split second before his face broke out into a grin. 

“You clean up well, Tozier,” Eddie said, tapping the side of his face. “Just wait til Bev sees, she’ll be all over your new look.”

“I should get her to style me,” Richie laughed, running his hand through the short sides. “Feels weird.” 

“It’s definitely different, man, but it’s really good. _Really_ ,” Eddie told him. 

“Wow, stop thirsting over me,” Richie teased, shoving his shoulder. “Ready to see the boys?” Eddie nodded, following Richie down the hall towards the boys’ room. He could hear all three kids chatting excitedly inside. He poked his head around the corner, letting out a small sigh of relief when he didn’t see any neon pink.

Chester had cut his hair similar to Richie’s, short on the sides, long on the top. Eddie would bet twenty bucks that Chester had picked that style after Richie had gotten his own hair done. Even after a month of living together, Eddie still caught Chester watching Trashmouth routines on YouTube. He absolutely idolized Richie, and Eddie was more than okay with that.

Lonnie had gone for more of a dramatic change seeing as he was now blonde. It was different than the nearly white blonde that Myra had, which looked tacky, in Eddie’s opinion. The colour was fine, but the box dye job was not. Lonnie’s hair looked a natural dirty blonde, with highlights and lowlights in it. He’d left it longer than Chester’s, long enough that it curled slightly at the ends. The sides weren’t much shorter than the top, just enough that it gave it some shape. 

“I like it,” Eddie said, glancing between the boys. “Both of you. _All_ of you.”

“Thanks, Dad!” Lonnie said, jumping off their bed and running to give Eddie a hug. “I was worried it would look too much like mom, and-”

“Hey,” Eddie crouched down so he was eye level with Lonnie. His dark brown eyes and dark coloured eyebrows contrasted harshly with the blonde, giving him a boyish look. “You don’t look like her,” he assured him. “Even if you did, it would still look great. If you want to go bleach-blonde someday, it would look fantastic. But I think that this is really good and it suits you really well.”

“And people won’t get us mixed up anymore!” Chester added, messing around on his iPad. 

“That’s right, Lonnie,” Eddie teased, earning a glare from both boys. “Kidding, kidding!” 

“Well then!” Richie said, clapping his hands together. “Who wants wonton noodles for dinner?” 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_October 7, 2016_

“Fuck,” Eddie groaned, lowering himself into the recliner. “I love our kids, I do, but I’m so excited for a weekend without them.” Richie laughed loudly, setting down the book he was reading. 

“Tell me about it. I don’t even have to work this weekend,” he said, sitting up. “Best weekend ever.” 

“What do you want to do? Sleep till noon and eat ice cream for breakfast?” 

“You know me so well,” Richie said with a smile, heaving himself off the couch and walking over to the cabinet in the corner of the room. He pulled out a bottle of scotch and a couple of glasses. “I also wouldn’t mind getting plastered.” 

“Fuck yes,” Eddie said, sitting forward and making grabby hands for the glass once Richie had poured some out for him. Eddie took a sip, wincing as it hit his tongue. He wasn’t much of a scotch person, but it got him there quick. That, and this scotch was significantly sweeter than any Eddie had had before, meaning it probably wasn’t too cheap. “This tastes expensive.”

“It is,” Richie agreed, knocking back way too much for what Eddie assumed the price point to be. “My old agent got it for me. And fuck his homophobic ass.” Richie raised his glass, clinking it against Eddie’s, before taking a more reasonably sized sip. 

“How long ago was that?” Eddie asked, cautiously searching for the key to unlocking Richie’s tragic backstory.

“That he got it for me?”

“No, that you dropped his ‘homophobic ass’.”

“Last week,” Richie explained, finishing his glass and pouring another. 

“Richie!”

“Don’t worry, I already had someone else lined up. Got a family of five to support here, couldn’t just drop him without being prepared.” Richie explained, laughing. “Honestly though, best career move I’ve made. Oh, well I also fired my writer. So there’s that.”

“Hey,” Eddie said, leaning forward and slapping Richie’s knee. “Good for you, buddy!”

“Thanks,” Richie said, swirling the drink in his cup. “So, tell me about post-Derry, pre-Myra Eddie Kaspbrak. What were your college days like, man? I bet you were wild at parties.”

“You _know_ I was wild at parties,” Eddie laughed, sitting back in the chair and pulling his knees up. “College Eddie was a varsity athlete-”

“No _fucking_ way!”

“Yeah! I was on the track team,” Eddie explained, laughing at Richie’s wide eyes. “I graduated with a fairly okay GPA, did my fair share of partying and sleeping around.” 

“How many people did ya sleep around with, Mister Kaspbrak?”

“No idea,” Eddie laughed, shaking his head. “A lot of it was at parties so like sometimes I don’t remember exactly how far we went. In college? Probably somewhere between ten and fifteen?” 

“Edsie Spaghedsie,” Richie teased, poking him in the shin. 

“Cut it with the nicknames,” Eddie groaned, dropping his head back. 

“Never. But I’m impressed. How many not in college?” 

“You know you’re going to have to answer these questions too, right?” 

“A lady never kisses and tells,” Richie pointed out, smiling around the rim of his glass. 

“You’re not a lady, in any sense of the word,” Eddie laughed.

“How would you know?” Richie challenged, gesturing crudely to his crotch. For one _excruciating_ moment, Eddie considered leaning over and grabbing Richie’s dick through his pants. Which would be a dick move, seeing as they were _not_ in a sexual relationship, and that would be both creepy and uncalled for. Still, Eddie let his thoughts play out for a moment, imagining the hot press of Richie’s mouth and his hands squeezing Eddie’s ass and-

 _Cool it Kaspbrak_. 

“Uh...” Eddie said, going back to Richie’s previous question. “Three, including Myra, after college, and one before, so f-”

“Who was before?” Richie blurted, eyes going wide. 

“Suzie Freeman,” Eddie said, raising his eyebrows. 

“No way! When? I’m calling bullshit!” Richie said, shaking his head. In his defense, Suzie had notoriously been one of the most attractive girls in school, but was labelled as a ‘prude’, having turned down almost every guy in the school. Even those that went on a date with her reported getting no further than a peck on the lips. 

“Eleventh grade,” Eddie told him, trying not to laugh at the way Richie’s eyes were nearly bugging out. “C’mon, you knew I was hanging out with her!”

“Yeah, but I thought you were doing nerdy stuff together, not sexy stuff! You were dating Suzie Freeman and you never told me? You had SEX and you never told me?” Richie asked, pouting like a hurt child. 

“We weren’t dating,” Eddie clarified. “We were just friends! One day we were talking about how neither of us had any experience, except for a few kisses or whatever, and somehow agreed to fumble our way through it together, to just learn, y’know?” 

“I can’t believe you lost your virginity before me,” Richie groaned, flopping back on the couch and nearly spilling his drink. “Actually I can. You were so pretty back then.”

“I’m not pretty anymore?” Eddie teased. Richie groaned in response, covering his eyes with his forearm. “When did you lose it then?” 

“We’re not talking about this anymore,” Richie mumbled, trying to take a sip of his drink and dribbling a little down his chin.

“It doesn’t matter when, I don’t care! It’s not like everyone didn’t know the kid talking about the size of his wang was a virgin. Anyways, you have a kid, so clearly not a virgin now.” 

“Fine,” Richie grumbled. “I was twenty-three.” 

“Tell me all about it. Did you lay rose petals out for her?” Eddie teased, resting his chin on the palm of his hand. 

“No Eddie,” Richie said, finally sitting up. “It was in the backseat of his truck.” Eddie immediately burst out laughing. “What? Are you laughing at the whole ‘Richie likes dick’ or-”

“No! No,” Eddie said, wiping his eyes. “My first time with a guy was in the back of his truck, too.” 

“Oh,” Richie said, a smile playing at the corner of his lips, a faint blush spreading across his cheeks. “So Eddie Spaghetti likes it up the ass too?” 

“Are you surprised?” Eddie asked, raising his eyebrows. “You talk enough about how pretty I was, shouldn’t come as too much of a shock.” 

“Honestly? Kinda,” Richie admitted. “So what, you’re like bi then?” 

“Nope, definitely gay,” Eddie said, finishing his glass and pouring himself another. 

“So Myra and Suzie were just accidents or...?” 

“Well I mean, Suzie was exactly what I said it was, and definitely helped me to realise I was into only dudes. And Myra was my mom’s choice so...” 

“Fair enough, dude.”

“What about you? I suspect there might have been a vagina involved at some point for Haidee to end up here,” Eddie pointed out.

“Keen observation,” Richie said. “Yeah, I mean I have a preference for like... dudes with dicks but I don’t really care. I’m cool with any gender, whatever parts, y’know? Like definitely bi, but I prefer another dick in the mix. But yeah, Haidee’s mother was a woman with a vagina.” 

“Was?” Eddie asked cautiously, not wanting to push it. Richie was only two drinks in and had previously claimed he needed four units of alcohol to unlock vulnerable Richie. 

“Was, is, I don’t know,” Richie shrugged, pouring his third glass. “I only met her three times.” 

“Oh?” Eddie asked, leaning his head onto the back of the couch. “How’d you end up with Haids?”

“Asked nicely,” Richie laughed, pushing his glasses up his face. “I met her at some industry after-party and she was... for hire... so y’know. We had sex, I gave her some cash, end of the story. And then she showed up like nine months later on my doorstep, with newborn Haidee in her arms, demanding child support.”

“What’d you do? Steal her out of her mother’s arms?” 

“Yeah, exactly that,” Richie agreed, rolling his eyes. “No. You know that moment when you see your kid for the first time and you’re like ‘Shit, this little nugget is my whole world’? I mean I guess you had two nuggets but like... do you remember that feeling?” 

“Yeah, obviously. Cried my fucking eyes out.”

“Right?” Richie laughed again. “So like she’s standing on my doorstep, holding my baby and I’m a strong man who never, _ever_ cries, obviously.” Eddie snorted. “So I started bawling, and asked her to come in so I could just like, have a minute and hold her. And this girl says no!

“And like, here I am, a father, and I’m running through those moments in my mind of watching her grow up and stuff and then it kind of struck me like... maybe she wouldn’t have the best life with her mom. Like nothing against sex workers man, but I mean... knowing what I knew about this lady and just my general knowledge of sex workers and like... how much they charged and how much her mom was charging and she had some needle scars on her arms and I could tell that my kid wasn’t going to have it great, and here I am, break out comedy star, and like, I could give her this fantastic life.

“So I look her mother dead in the eyes and I go ‘I want to raise her’, and she goes ‘I don’t want you in my life’, and so I go ‘then don’t be, but I want to raise her.’ And her mom stares at me for a minute with these huge eyes, and I thought for a second that she was going to change her mind and want a family or something and honestly, I think I was prepared for that at that moment because there was no way I was letting her walk away with my daughter. 

“And then this _bitch_ , and I mean bitch Eddie, says ‘okay’ and hands me Haidee and starts to walk away. She turns around and goes ‘I’ll drop off her stuff later. She doesn’t have a name, so up to you, I don’t care’ and fucking leaves. Came back a few hours later with a shit ton of baby stuff, which was actually nice of her, like formula and stuff, and the like legal documents. The only other time I saw her was in court when she gave up custody. She didn’t even look at Haidee that day.”

“Jesus,” Eddie said, taking a large sip of his drink. “Fuck her.”

“I mean,” Richie started. “It’s not like I wanted her in our lives, or whatever, but the fact she didn’t say goodbye or care or anything? Some life she would have provided for her.” 

“Tell me about the like first ten minutes after she handed you to her,” Eddie asked, finishing his drink and pouring another. 

“I closed the door, sat on the couch with her, and fell in love, what do you think?” Richie asked, laughing. “Sobbed like a baby. She started crying after like five minutes and then I really started crying because I was panicking because all of a sudden I was a father.” 

“God, same,” Eddie said. “I remember we were still in the hospital and Myra was asleep and I was holding them both on my chest in this reclining chair and this was when I was in a really deep ‘no germs’ thing and like, don’t get me wrong I love them and I was so happy, but I hadn’t wanted kids, and then Lonnie fucking drooled on me and I had a panic attack.” 

Both of them were laughing now. “Man. You think you understand how to change a diaper until there’s suddenly runny baby shit on the ceiling and you’re both crying.”

“Fuck I know! Or like, when you go to burp them and they throw up all the way down your back instead?”

“Yeah, I don’t know how you managed with two of them,” Richie said, wiping his eyes. “I don’t know how I managed. I was still in my ramen noodles days when she showed up.”

“That’s only because Postmates didn’t exist yet,” Eddie pointed out. Richie raised his glass in agreeance. “Do you date?” 

“What?” Richie asked, looking up quickly.

“You never settled down, you never talk about friends or anything, other than us, so I was just wondering if you’ve got a social life, or if Haidee’s it.”

“To be honest, other than industry people, Haidee’s it. I mean it’s not like I haven’t been with anyone since she was born, but I haven’t really ever been good at dating.”

“Bullshit!” Eddie said, sitting up properly in his chair. “You’d be all candles and romance! You shower people in affection! You’d be a great boyfriend!”

“Yeah, I just get scared when people get too close. Like what if Haidee starts to like them and then we break up? Or even before it just never felt right. Honestly, sometimes I feel like people don’t exactly like being with me. I’m kind of annoying and obnoxious.”

“I’m well aware, I’m your best friend,” Eddie pointed out. “But it’s _almost_ charming sometimes. I refuse to believe that people don’t like being with you. You’re a fascinating person to be around. Even if you annoy the ever-loving _fuck_ out of me.”

“Awe, Eds,” Richie leaned forward, pinching his good cheek. “You’re cute, cute, cute!” 

“Knock it off, loser!”

“I mean, I guess there’s also the fact I don’t have the best mental health going on so...”

“Join the club.”

“What club is that?” Richie asked, cocking an eyebrow. “Depressed single fathers 

club?” 

“Honestly, yeah,” Eddie laughed. “Sprinkle in some anxiety and a hell of a lot of unresolved PTSD and you’re officially a member.” 

“God, we’re so fucked up,” Richie groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Fucking Pennywise fucked with my whole vibe man. Why’d he have to make our lives miserable? Can you imagine if he hadn’t been there? Wouldn’t have spent half my life without you guys.”

“We probably wouldn’t have our kids, though,” Eddie pointed out, playing with a thread on the chair. 

“You’re right, Mr. Optimism,” Richie agreed. Eddie smiled, pouring Richie another glass when he set down the empty one. “Trying to get me drunk?”

“Wasn’t that the plan?”


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, this is up waaaayyy later than I planned for but hey, it's here! This chapter is shorter than the last one, but it's a lot more angsty so you're welcome for that I guess 😂

_ October 20, 2016 _

Eddie was going insane. Between the borderline flirting, Eddie’s ability to pop a boner like a fucking fifteen-year-old, and Richie’s habit of leaving the breakfast dishes on the counter until Eddie got home, it was a wonder Eddie hadn’t blown a fucking gasket already. 

When Eddie arrived home from work to find Richie dressed in a black button-down, the sleeves rolled to his forearms, he almost walked straight to the shower, not passing go, to jerk off. That was until he spotted not only the breakfast dishes on the counter, but Richie’s dinner plate from the middle of the night, after his show the night before. 

That’s how Eddie’s bad workday turned into an evening of bickering as the two of them prepped dinner. Their argument was long past the dirty dishes and had drifted towards low hanging insults and whatever small annoyances they could find. 

“God, you’re so fucking annoying sometimes!” Eddie snapped, throwing the dishtowel on the counter. 

“Yeah? Think you’re any better?” Richie countered, still chopping vegetables with far more force than needed. “Listen, I’m trying here, but it’s really fucking hard when-”

“Dad! Dad come quick!” One of the kids shouted in desperation. Eddie dropped the plate in the sink, tearing out of the kitchen. He heard Richie drop the knife and follow him out, running toward Haidee’s room where all three kids had been watching videos. 

Eddie burst through the door, heart racing. Haidee was on the bed, knees pulled up to her chest. Lonnie was on the ground, next to Chester who was- seizing. Chester was having a fucking seizure. 

“Shit. Richie, call an ambulance,” Eddie yelled, grabbing Haidee’s desk and pulling it away from Chester’s head, which was dangerously close. “Grab me a pillow, Lon.” Lonnie grabbed a pillow from Haidee’s bed, helping Eddie shove it under Chester’s head. “I’m here, baby, Dad’s here, you’re okay.”

“Dad? Dad, it’s not back, right?” Lonnie asked, his hands on the pillow by Chester’s head. “He’ll be okay?”

“I don’t know,” Eddie told him, taking a shaky breath. “I dunno, buddy.” He glanced over his shoulder to find Richie on the phone near the door, talking furiously. Eddie turned to Haidee, who was still sitting on her bed, holding her iPad on her lap. “Haidee, it’s okay.” Haidee looked at him, turning the iPad to him. A timer read 1:56. “Thanks, Haidee, that’s really smart.”

“It was about ten seconds before I could start it,” she whispered, looking back at the screen. 

“Has he had one before?” Richie asked, leaning back into the room. Eddie nodded, pushing the hair off Chester’s forehead.

“Last one was four years ago,” he told Richie, who nodded and started talking to the 9-1-1 operator again. 

“Dad.” Lonnie grabbed his arm, pulling him back towards Chester. “He stopped.” 

“Hey Chess,” Eddie whispered, wiping the hair away from his forehead. “Come back to me, buddy. Dad’s here, Lon too. You’re okay.” 

Chester opened his eyes a few long seconds later, blinking rapidly, “Dad?” 

“Shh, buddy. Hi, you’re okay. You had a seizure. The ambulance is going to take us to the hospital.” Eddie looked up at Lonnie, who had his hand on Chester’s shoulder, tears welling in his eyes. 

“Lonnie, I need you to pack a bag of things for Chess at the hospital, can you do that? His iPad, some toys, pyjamas?” Chester nodded, getting to his feet and leaving the room. “How long Haidee?”

“It was two oh seven plus ten so two seventeen. Two minutes and seventeen seconds.”

“Okay, thank you, sweetheart, can you go give Lonnie a hand?” Haidee nodded and ran out the door to follow Lonnie. “Rich?” 

“Hey Eds,” Richie whispered, kneeling beside him. “They’re almost here.”

“It’s back, isn’t it Dad?” Chester asked quietly, trying to reach for Eddie with his eyes closed, grabbing Richie’s arm instead. 

“I dunno, baby.”

“What’s back, Eds?” Richie asked quietly. 

“Cancer,” Chester mumbled, his other hand finding Eddie’s. 

“Eds?”

“He- he had a brain tumour when he was younger. But he’s been in remission for four years. Chester, we don’t know for sure-”

“I know, Dad. I know,” he sighed, opening his eyes and looking up at the ceiling again. “Is the ambulance here yet?”

“Almost buddy,” Eddie whispered as the knock came from the front door. Richie ran to let the paramedics in. Eddie leaned down, pressing a kiss to Chester’s forehead. “I’m here, it’s okay.” 

“Hey Chester, my name is Matt,” one of the paramedics said, kneeling near Chester’s head. Eddie stepped back giving the paramedics some room to work. He felt a hand on his shoulder, immediately letting himself melt into the touch.

“Can you bring Lonnie?” Eddie asked, holding Richie’s forearm as it slid around his chest. Richie’s chin rested on the top of his head. 

“Of course, we’ll be right behind you.” Eddie nodded, watching the paramedics help Chester onto the stretcher. Eddie moved to follow, but Richie stopped him. “Hey,” Richie grabbed the side of his head, rubbing his thumb along his cheekbone. “Every step of the way, okay?” 

\----------------

They caught it early, the doctor had told them. Earlier than last time, even. Despite that, the words “stage two brain cancer” still hit Eddie like a freight train, destroying everything in its path. He’d managed to hold it together for the whole day, but as soon as their bedroom door had closed behind him, the kids already tucked into bed, he’d found himself on the floor, unable to do anything except gasp for air and pull at his hair. 

Richie had fallen beside him, pulling Eddie’s head into his lap and holding him tightly. Eddie wanted to cry, to scream,  _ anything _ , but he could do nothing except wish for his inhaler and dig his fingers into Richie’s thighs. “ _ Richie _ ,” he gasped, pressing his eye against the seam in Richie’s jeans. 

“I’m here, Eds,” Richie said softly, his fingers gently carding through Eddie’s hair. It wasn’t enough. Eddie grabbed Richie’s hand from his hair and squeezed until Richie was gripping back just as hard. Eddie breathed in harshly, trying to filter the air into his mouth as if it was coming through his inhaler. “Wish you hadn’t burnt your inhaler, dude.” 

“I feel like I’m dying,” Eddie gasped, pulling at the collar of his shirt. His stomach was twisting, his heart racing, and his brain was pounding out of his skull. He rolled onto his back, looking up at Richie. “Rich.” 

“Do you want a Xanax?” Richie asked, gripping Eddie’s other hand with his, pulling it away from his clothes. Eddie’s vision started to blur, Richie swimming in and out of focus. Eddie rubbed at his eyes, realising that he was, in fact, crying. He nodded, rolling off Richie’s lap so he could move. Richie got up quickly. “I’ll be just a minute, hang on.” 

Eddie tried to focus on the sounds on Richie’s footsteps as he ran to the kitchen. His lungs burned, as did the tears sliding across his face. He stared aimlessly under the bed, his vision barely working. His shirt clung to him with sweat. It was suffocating. He pulled it off, tossing it somewhere across the room. 

Richie ran back into the room, pulling Eddie into a sitting position and leaning him against his chest. “I gotcha,” Richie muttered in his ear, pressing the pill bottle into his hand. Eddie held it in front of his face, trying to focus on the letters and numbers. His eyes focused on the dose long enough for it to register before it all went fuzzy again.

“These are strong,” Eddie told him, fumbling with the child-proof lid. “When I was on this shit it wasn’t nearly this high.” 

Richie’s hands fell over his own, helping him open the bottle and put one in his hand. “I get really bad panic attacks. They’re just in case. Not my daily anxiety meds,” Richie explained, taking the bottle away and replacing it with a glass of water. Eddie knocked the pill back with the full glass of water. 

“Thanks,” Eddie said with a sniffle. “Fuck.  _ Fuck, Richie _ .” His stomach twisted harshly and he found himself turning around and clambering into Richie’s lap, his arms going around Richie’s shoulders before he could even think it through.

“I’m here,” Richie whispered in his ear, one of his hands running up and down Eddie’s back, the other settled on the back of his neck. 

“I can’t do this again,” Eddie muttered, pressing his face into Richie’s neck. “Last time was just so- oh God,” Eddie’s stomach lurched as Myra’s screaming voice appeared in his head. “I should call Myra.”

“You don’t-”

“I do. It’s not fair to keep it from her,” Eddie said, tightening his arms around Richie’s shoulders. 

“Listen to me for a second,” Richie whispered, his breath tickling Eddie’s ear. Eddie nodded carefully. “She does not legally need to know anything about the boys or you ever again. Calling her will suck, and she’ll get upset about the medical issue and she’ll start blaming things and you and me.”

“Richie. I have-”

“ _ But, _ I know you’re going to do it anyways, because not only are you brave as  _ fuck _ but you’re also an extremely kind and forgiving person. So we can tackle that call together if you want.” Eddie nodded. “Maybe tomorrow though, tonight is about you.”

“Fatherhood made you soft,” Eddie mumbled, turning his head so his mouth was basically pressed to Richie’s neck. In any other situation, Eddie would have been dying from the close proximity, for being  _ on Richie’s lap _ , but right now the only thing that was going through his mind was Chester. “Where’re the jokes about you calling my ex-wife for phone sex?” 

“Well I could give you the number she gave me that goes right to her jail cell, but she might think it was me calling and, well, the dirty talk is-”

“Alright, beep beep,” Eddie groaned. Richie’s hand stilled on his back, and Eddie pulled back far enough to meet Richie’s gaze. “Thanks, man.” 

“Course, Spaghetti,” Richie said sliding his hand from the back of Eddie’s neck to his cheek. “Hey, it’s gonna be okay. I’m not going anywhere. You don’t have to do this alone.” 

Fear and guilt churned in Eddie’s stomach again, tears climbing back up his throat. He groaned, clenching his teeth and trying to curl in on himself again. Richie held him steady, one hand on his cheek, one on his back. Eddie grasped Richie’s shirt, balling it up in his fists. His mind started racing, the sound of the heart monitor echoing through his ears from only a few hours earlier, the sterile hospital smell coming back. 

“You’re okay, Eddie,” Richie whispered, pulling him in again so that he was tucked into Richie’s neck. “I’ve got you, you’re okay.” 

“I know,” Eddie whispered, his mouth against Richie’s shoulder. “I know, Rich.” 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ October 22, 2016 _

Eddie had ultimately caved into calling Myra. No matter how far she’d been removed from their lives, Eddie stood by the fact that she deserved to be told. He waited until all of the kids were out of the house. Lonnie was at Max’s for a sleepover, and Haidee and Chester had gone to the movies with a group of friends. 

Richie had convinced him to put the phone on speaker so that he could listen too. He’d promised Eddie he wouldn’t say a word to her, and that he just didn’t want Eddie to have the conversation alone. Eddie had definitely put up a fight about it, and would make a show of complaining for days to come, but having Richie beside him on the couch at that moment was beyond comforting.

They had already got through to the correction officer, who had gone to get Myra and bring her to the phone. They waited in silence, the only noise in the room was the sound of denim rubbing together as Eddie bounced his leg. 

“Yes?”

Myra’s voice cut into his soul deeper than he could have prepared for. A voice he thought he’d never have to hear again, a deep-rooted fear bubbling to the surface. 

“Myra. It- It’s Eddie.”

“Bypassing the lawyers now, are you?” Her tone dropped to one that Eddie so often related to the feeling of guilt. One that made his insides churn and his self-esteem drop off a fucking cliff. He took a deep breath and held it for five seconds before cutting to the chase.

“Chester’s brain tumour is back.” 

“You’re lying.”

“What would I be lying for, Myra? I have nothing to gain from talking to you.” 

“You did this to him! You-”

“ _ Myra, _ please.”

“He’s not taking his medications anymore, is he? I bet you’re feeding him terrible food filled with chemicals, or letting him on that iPad of his for too long!” Richie’s hand fell on the back of Eddie’s neck, and he felt himself leaning into the touch. “It’s that damn comedian you’re living with! He’s making him sick, feeding him chemicals! He’s dangerous-”

“Myra, I’m going to go,” Eddie interrupted, sitting forward and resting his elbows on his knees so he was leaning above the phone.

“Go? Back to your dirty boyfriend? You’ve always been sick and dirty... I knew it! Every time we made love something felt off about you!” 

“Shocker,” Eddie said, rolling his eyes. His stomach was clenched tightly, his head spinning with thoughts and memories that he’d tried to hide away. Memories she knew she was bringing to the surface. 

_ “Don’t you love me, Eddie?” _

_ “Hold still, Edward.” _

_ “Let me take care of you.”  _

“I’ll let you know if anything changes, for better or for worse,” he promised, slamming his eyes closed as his brain kept digging deeper for darker memories. Myra started to yell something else, but Richie had already pressed the “end call” button. Eddie didn’t move, didn’t open his eyes, only fought with his mind to keep the memories locked away and the panic attacks at bay. 

Richie’s hand closed over his and he reminded himself to breathe. In for five, out for five. In for five, out for five. Once he felt like he had some control over his body, he let his head fall onto Richie’s shoulder. The hand that was still on the back of Eddie’s neck slowly moved into his hair, massaging at his scalp. 

“You did so well,” Richie whispered, squeezing his hand. Heat pooled in Eddie’s stomach, and he knew his face was turning red. He bit his lip, trying to push Richie’s words out of his mind before he popped a boner. Now was not the time to investigate the apparent praise kink. Maybe it was just the whispering. Richie’s mouth was so close to his ear, he could practically feel his lips move. Could have been that, actually. That sounded believable. “Proud of you, Eds.” 

Eddie pulled back before it could get worse. “Fuck off,” he said with a laugh, keeping his head down. Richie’s hand kept moving through his hair, his nails scraping against Eddie’s scalp. He glanced at Richie, who was watching him carefully, a small smile on his lips, which grew larger when he met Eddie’s gaze. 

Eddie let his gaze drop, finding the eye contact overwhelming. His eyes stopped at Richie’s lips. There was a small cut on the left side, which had been there for a few days now. It was mostly healed over, but if Richie smiled too widely it would probably start to bleed. Richie’s tongue pushed through his lips, wetting the top one, and pulling the bottom one back into his mouth, placing it between his teeth. 

Eddie’s breath hitched, his eyes flying up to meet Richie’s again. Had he really only pulled back a few inches? They were so close. He could basically feel Richie’s breath on his face. Eddie’s heart hammered in his chest as Richie made no move to pull back. Eddie hesitated, moving forward the smallest amount, just to see what Richie would do. Again, he didn’t pull back. He didn’t move forward, either, to Eddie’s frustration. Was Eddie going to have to do all the fucking work, here?

Eddie’s phone buzzed on the table and he jumped back, pulling his eyes away from Richie. He grabbed his phone and stood up, walking to the kitchen without a glance at Richie. 

What the fuck was he thinking? He didn’t have time for this. He’d just got a divorce, for fuck’s sake! Chester was sick, and Eddie couldn’t afford to be giving his extra time to anyone except Chester. 

Then again, it’s not like anything would change, really. They were already living together, sleeping together, even. The lingering touches were there, the flirting had  _ always _ been there. What difference would it make? A goodbye kiss in the morning, cuddling on the couch,  _ sex _ . 

But then again, Eddie had baggage. A lot of it. The mental health issues were one thing, and then the divorce on top of it? Not to mention a sick child. He couldn’t really expect Richie to want any of that in his life. They were close enough. Eddie was already asking too much of him.  _ This is enough _ , he tried to convince himself. 

“Anything important?” Eddie jumped at the sound of Richie’s voice. He turned quickly, finding Richie leaning obscenely against the door. He had his hands on the top of the frame and was leaning forward into the kitchen. Eddie’s eyes focused on Richie’s biceps and refused to pull away.

“What?” He asked dumbly.  _ How the fuck do the seams of his sleeves not fucking burst? _

“Your phone. You ran out pretty fast?” 

“Oh,” Eddie pulled his phone up to his face, glancing down. It was just a work email. “No, nothing important.” 

Richie’s gaze shifted from Eddie to the floor, before standing up properly, shoving his hands into his pocket. “Right,” he nodded, eyes still on the floor. “I’ve got some writing to do. I’ll uh... I’ll be in our room.”

“Okay,” Eddie agreed, eyes darting to his phone as Richie chanced a look in his direction. He heard Richie sigh, before leaving the room. 

Eddie dropped his head back against the cupboard behind him, groaning quietly. “Fucking stupid,” he mumbled, pinching the bridge of his nose. Part of him (most of him) wanted to run after Richie, to follow him to their bed and kiss him until they couldn’t breathe. Kiss him until the cut on his lip split open and he could taste the iron in his own mouth.  _ Jesus _ , he was so far gone for Richie that that thought was more hot than it was disgusting. 

He groaned again before pouring himself his third cup of coffee and walking back to the living room. Eddie needed to fucking cool it. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ November 1, 2016 _

“Dad?” 

Eddie opened his eyes slowly, the dark room coming into focus as he blinked away the sleep. 

“Dad, are you awake?” 

Eddie propped himself up on one elbow, squinting at the door. “Hm,” Lonnie leaned against the door frame, hugging his stuffed owl to his chest. “Yeah bud, wassup?” 

“I had a bad dream,” Lonnie said quietly, still hovering near the door. 

“Come get in,” Eddie murmured, falling back onto the pillow. Lonnie scurried up from the bottom of the bed, climbing into the middle and tucking himself into Eddie’s chest once he was situated under the covers. “Wanna tell me about it?” 

“Mom came back,” Lonnie whispered into Eddie’s chest. Eddie closed his eyes, moving his fingers through Lonnie’s hair to try and keep himself awake while Lonnie talked. “She got Chess and Haidee and she was coming to get me too and I couldn’t find you guys and she was going to take me away.”

“Bud,” Eddie whispered into his hair. “She’s not coming back, okay? We’ve got restraining orders and she’s still serving her sentence right now, so she can’t come near you. Besides, I’ll always be there to protect you. I’m your dad, that’s my job.” 

“Richie too?” Lonnie asked, gripping Eddie’s side desperately. 

“Richie too,” Richie whispered from the other side of the bed. Eddie felt him turn over, his hand falling on top of Eddie’s in Lonnie’s hair. “She comes near you again, I’ll fuck her up.”

“Richie!” Eddie hissed, furrowing his brow.

“I’m kidding,” Richie mumbled, moving closer to them. “Violence is never the answer. Fight with your words. Use your daddy’s superpower. He’s always had a way with words.”

“Thanks, Richie,” Lonnie whispered. 

“Course kiddo, now go to sleep, dad needs his beauty rest,” Richie murmured, his fingers tangling with Eddie’s. And if Eddie woke up still holding Richie’s hand, that was nobody’s business but theirs. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_ November 12, 2016 _

“Haids, guess what?” Richie asked, walking into the living room, where Haidee and Eddie were sitting, playing a racing game. 

“What Daddy?” Haidee whined. “I’m tryna beat Eddie!” 

“Eddie will show no mercy, you need to practice more if you want to win,” Richie said, walking over and sitting on the arm of the couch. “Guess where we’re going for dinner tonight?” Eddie paused the game, looking up at Richie, just as curious as Haidee. 

“In N’ Out?” She guessed.

“Nope, try a little more homemade.” 

“Your friend John’s?” 

“Nope, guess again!”

“I’m all out of guesses, Daddy.”

“Lame,” Richie said, rolling his eyes. “Grandma and Papa’s!” 

“They’re home?” Haidee shouted, bouncing on the couch. 

“Yes, they got home last night,” Richie explained, smiling at her. 

“Your parents are still alive?” 

“Yep!” Richie said, standing up. “They’ve been somewhere in Africa for a year and a bit, doing god knows what, but they’re home now, and invited us for dinner tonight.”

“That’s nice of them,” Eddie said, resuming the game. 

“Yeah, I told them I’d be bringing my roommate and his two kids! Thought I’d let you surprise them!” 

“Aw, Rich, she’s going to cry on me!” Eddie complained, dropping his head back so he could see Richie standing behind him.

“I  _ know _ ,” Richie laughed. “It’ll be great!”

“ _ Riiiichiieee _ .”

“Don’t worry, she’ll cry anyways! She gets to see her one and only grandbaby. Actually, she’s going to adopt your children, so we’re giving her the gift of two new grandkids.” 

“Great,” Eddie said, concentrating on the game. “The boys can finally have grandparents.” 

“Myra’s parents?” 

“Dead. Well before the boys came around.” 

“Well, they better prepare their stomachs for Grandma’s cooking!” 

Four hours later, Richie was pulling the car up in front of a small house with a big flower garden in the front. Exactly the type of place Eddie would have expected Maggie Tozier to retire. As soon as the car was in park, Haidee threw herself out of the car, running up the front lawn. Richie laughed, hopping out of the driver’s seat, and made sure Chester got out okay. Eddie got out of the car just as the front door opened. 

“There’s my girl!” Eddie watched as Haidee threw herself into Maggie’s arms, giggling loudly. Eddie hadn’t seen Maggie in over twenty years, but she was still as beautiful as ever. Lonnie shut the back door, before tucking himself into Eddie’s side. “And where’s my boy?” Maggie stood up, looking towards the rest of them.

“Hey, Ma!” Richie called, bringing Chester around the back of the truck. “You remember-”

“Eddie!” Maggie called, hurrying down the stairs towards him. Eddie met her halfway, pulling her into a tight hug. 

“Hi Mrs. Tozier,” he said, pulling back. “It’s so good to see you.” 

“You grew up so handsome, dear! And these must be your boys, goodness they look just like you!” Maggie pulled back to look at the boys.

“Yes, this is Lonnie,” Eddie gestured behind him, where Lonnie was hovering. “And this,” he waited until Richie and Chester had made their way up the path. “Is Chester.” 

“It’s so nice to meet you, boys!” Maggie said, pulling each of them into a hug, before finally turning to Richie. “And you mister, how could you not tell me it was Eddie coming?”

“Wanted it to be a surprise, Ma,” Richie said, pulling her into a hug of his own.

“Your father will be so pleased, always did like this one,” Maggie said with a wave of her hand, leading them all into the house. The toed their shoes off, before following her into the kitchen, where Went was already greeting Haidee. 

“Hey, Dad!” Richie said, stepping into the kitchen ahead of the others.

“Went, your son decided to try and pull a fast one on us. He brought us little Eddie Kaspbrak!” 

Went looked up, spotting Lonnie and Chester first. “Well, little Eddie Kaspbrak is certainly multiplying.” He stood up, meeting Eddie’s eyes. “Hi Eddie, it’s great to see you, kiddo.” 

Lonnie giggled, hiding his face in Eddie’s shirt. “You’re not a kiddo,” he whispered. Eddie rolled his eyes, pulling Lonnie out from behind him. 

“Mr. Tozier, this is Lonnie, and Chester, my boys,” Eddie said, gesturing to each one. 

“Hello Lonnie and Chester,” Went said, crouching down to get to the boys' level. “You sure do look a lot like your dad did when he was your age.” 

“Do you have any funny stories about Dad and Richie?” Chester asked, looking between Maggie and Went. 

Went chuckled and nodded. “Of course I do,” Went said. “Like how Richie used to sneak out of the house every night and go to your dad’s, and thought we didn’t know.” 

“You suck at sneaking, Richie,” Lonnie laughed, still tucked to Eddie’s side. 

“I regret this grandparent thing already,” Eddie laughed, trying to nudge Lonnie into some personal space. “Should have stuck to being grandparent-less.” 

“Oh?” Maggie said, looking between the boys. “Your mother passed away, dear?” 

“Yeah, back in o’ two.”

“And their mother’s parents?” 

“They passed away before the boys were born.” 

“Well, no worries!” Maggie said, walking over to the boys. “You boys have us now, which means you’re going to be so spoiled you won’t even know what to do with yourself!” 

“Grandparents are way better than dads,” Haidee explained. “And moms too, cause moms suck.”

“Yeah, but your dad’s the strict dad,” Chester said, rolling his eyes. “Our dad’s the fun dad!” 

“That’s cause your mom was the strict one! I never got any fun parents, I only have this party pooper,” Haidee said, pointing at Richie. Richie gasped, holding his hand to his chest. 

“Haidee Margret Tozier, you take that back right now!” 

“No, you’re a party pooper,” she argued, crossing her arms. “I have Eddie now and he doesn’t have any rules!” 

“I do too,” Eddie argued, pointing towards the sink. “Rule number one, dinner is almost ready, so you better go wash your hands.”

“Or  _ whaaat _ ,” Lonnie asked, crossing his arms.

“Or the little particles of poop on your fingers will get into your food and instead of eating the wonderful dinner Mr. and Mrs. Tozier prepared, you’ll just eat stinky poop.”

“That’s gross, Dad!”

“Ew!”

“Exactly, so all three of you, hands, clean, go, now!” Haidee scurried out of the kitchen, the boys following her. 

“What?” Eddie turned to Richie, who seemed to be cowering under his parents’ gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?” Both of his parents were smiling at him, looking proud. “Stop, you’re creeping me out.”

“Nothing, Rich, just happy for you,” Went told him, pointing towards the roast sitting on the oven. “Take that to the dining room. And Eddie would you mind taking the potatoes in, please?” 

“Why does he get a ‘please’ and I don’t,” Richie whined, picking up the roast.

“Because I’m your father!” 

The boys were exceedingly polite throughout dinner, much to Eddie’s shock. Not that they never had manners, but it was almost unnerving how many times “thank you so much Mrs. Tozier” had come out of Chester’s mouth. Lonnie was even keeping his elbows off the table, something Eddie hadn’t remembered teaching him to do in the first place. 

Eddie glanced at Richie, who had been hiding his laughter all night. Richie leaned over, whispering in his ear. “They’re laying it on a bit thick, hey?” Eddie raised his eyebrows, nodding and glancing between the boys. 

“Yeah, what’s up with that?” 

“I think they’re just trying to impress them,” Richie said, nudging his shoulder. “Haids probably told them how good the Christmas presents are.”

“That checks out,” Eddie agreed with a nod. “They’re sneaky like that.” 

“So boys, how are you liking LA?” Maggie asked, scooping more potatoes onto her plate.

“It’s great,” Chester said excitedly. “Living with Richie is way better than living with our mom!” 

“Is it?” Maggie asked, smiling at Richie across the table.

“She pushed me down the stairs,” Lonnie explained through a mouthful of food. Eddie froze, glass halfway to his mouth. Richie coughed loudly, bringing his napkin up to his face. “Richie’s a lot nicer than her.” Lonnie looked up to see all of the adults awkwardly staring in different directions. Eddie watched him carefully, as his face turned bright red. “You said I should talk about it to make me feel better.” 

“I did,” Eddie confirmed, taking a sip of his wine. “My ex-wife had similar tendencies to my mother,” Eddie explained, glancing between Maggie and Went. 

“Well,” Went said, rubbing Richie’s shoulder, who was still quietly coughing into his napkin. “I’m glad you boys are here now. Your dad was always my favourite.”

“What about me?” Richie asked, voice strained and breaking. 

“Eddie offered to do the dishes every time he stayed for dinner.”

“I’ll do them tonight!” 

“Deal.” 

After dinner, Haidee took the boys out to the backyard where Maggie and went had a swing set and a treehouse. Eddie helped with clearing the table and then found himself in the living room, taking the time to look at all the photos of Richie and Haidee over the years. Maggie was sat on the sofa, knitting needles in hand, telling Eddie stories from over the years. 

“Come sit, Eddie,” Maggie said from the couch, tapping the spot beside her. Eddie smiled, taking the seat. “I am so glad you’re here.”

“Me too, Mrs. Tozier. It’s really great to see you again,” Eddie told her, twisting his fingers in his lap. “Thank you for having us over for dinner.”

“Of course, dear,” Maggie told him, setting her hand over Eddie’s to calm him. “I feel like I owe you an apology.” 

“For- for what?” 

“For not doing more, when you were a boy,” Maggie said, squeezing his hand. “Went and I were aware that your situation at home wasn’t great, and Richie... well he was always trying to figure out different plans on how we could adopt you.”

“He was?” Eddie asked, gut twisting. 

“Of course. That summer you were friends with that girl, Beverly, he was making plans for her too, said her daddy was hurting her.” Maggie sighed, looking away from Eddie. “You should have heard the plans he was making up. Some of them, I’ll admit, were outlandish, but others were almost crazy enough to work.”

“I- I didn’t know he...” Eddie trailed off, staring at the door where he could make out Richie’s back as he washed the dishes. 

“Went and I seriously looked into it a few times, dear, but there was almost no way we could build a case, and we didn’t want her to pull you away from us even further.” 

“I understand,” Eddie said quickly, a weird warmth in his chest. “No really, building a case is still really hard. As terrible as it is, I don’t think I could have gotten full custody of the boys if she hadn’t  _ physically _ done something. And my mom never did anything like that, so you’re right, you weren’t going to win.” 

The pair were quiet for a moment, Maggie still squeezing Eddie’s hand as he tried to fight back a tightening in his throat. 

“You boys used to bicker so much,” Maggie said, watching Richie through the door. “Usually it was harmless, but I remember having to drag you two apart in our living room once.” 

“I forgot about that,” Eddie said, shaking his head. “I punched him in the face, and Went lifted me off and carried me into the kitchen.” Maggie nodded, still watching Richie. “He deserved it, I’m pretty sure.” 

“I imagine he did,” Maggie said with a soft smile. “He never told me what the actual fight was about.”

“He went out of his way to make my girlfriend break up with me,” Eddie told her, resting his hand on his chin. “I thought he was jealous that I was dating her. I’m pretty sure he just didn’t want us to drift apart.” 

“Something like that,” Maggie said quietly, bringing her gaze back to Eddie. “I’m proud of you, Eddie.” 

“Oh, I-”

“You’ve grown up to be an amazing man, and a fantastic father. All three of those kids look at you like you hung the stars. Richie does too, but Richie’s looked at you like that since you were five years old, putting a bandaid on his scraped knee.” 

“Mrs. Tozier, I don’t know what to say. I-  _ thank you _ -”

“I hope you stick around this time, Eddie. You and Richie deserve to be happy.” 

“I’m not going anywhere.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you like it so far! Come chat with me on tumblr at tommo-stylinson :)
> 
> ***If you would like to make art of this fic, or use specific scenes and/or dialogue for your own works, please let me know in the comments or message me on tumblr @tommo-stylinson. I would love to collaborate and give you a shoutout! But please do not steal my ideas and claim them as your own***


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